Flying on a Flair Airlines 737 MAX 8 from Toronto to Vancouver recently went pretty much exactly how I thought it would.
The boarding process was chaotic and confusing. The seats were uncomfortable. The aircraft was filthy. The cherry on top was arriving in Vancouver 2 1/2 hours late.
The thing that made it survivable (and kinda fun) is the fact that I was mentally prepared for all of these things. As hard as they tried, they couldn’t break me.
F8601
Toronto, ON (YYZ) – Vancouver, BC (YVR)
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Aircraft: 737 MAX 8
Registration: C-FLUT
Duration: 5 hours 27 minutes
Seat: 1F (Extra Legroom)
A full review of my Flair Airlines 737 MAX 8 Extra Legroom experience from YYZ to YVR
Nuh-uh. There was no way that I was willing to fly on ultra low-cost airline all the way across Canada without splurging on a seat with a little extra room. On Flair, those are called the “Extra Legroom” seats. It’s not exactly business class, but it is a smidge better than basic economy.
Arrival at the Toronto Pearson International Airport
Staying the night at the Gateway Sheraton attached to Terminal 3 was especially convenient. My flight to Vancouver was scheduled to depart out of the same terminal, so it wasn’t necessary to get up all that early to be ready to go for the 7:55 AM departure.
I had checked in via the Flair mobile app, so there was no need to stand in line at the check-in counter. There was a need to walk though. Once I made it through the security checkpoint (which took less than 5 minutes), I discovered two things:
- My flight had been delayed an hour and a half. It sure would’ve been nice to know this before I left the hotel.
- Flair operates out of the very far end of T3. It was a bit of a trek. Which is fine I guess, because I had lots of time to kill.
It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the security checkpoint all the way to the lowest number B gates in terminal 3. Comfortable walking shoes are a must.
The boarding process
Warning: they will not let you on the airplane unless you have a Flair “personal item” bag tag. The only way to obtain one is to stuff your carry-on bag into a sizing bin. A Flair gate agent must watch you do this to ensure that it fits. If not? Well, you ain’t flyin’.
The bag tag requirement thing made the boarding process extremely chaotic. There were many people (including myself) who were unaware of the requirement, and there were bodies all over the place trying to figure out where to go and what to do.
Because of how long it took to get a bag tag, I wasn’t able to be one of the first on the airplane (a perk that comes with an Extra Legroom seat). This was unfortunate due to my row 1 seat assignment and the resulting need for overhead bin space.
Extra Legroom seat overview
The only seats with extra legroom on the Flair 737 MAX 8 are rows 1 and 2 – along with the exit row seats over the wing. There’s nothing special about these seats. They’re the same as all the others on this airplane, except for the few extra inches of legroom.
These seats are pretty much on par with what you saw in my Swoop Airlines review. Minus the whole bulkhead row thing, of course.
It’s worth noting that this was the dirtiest Boeing 737 MAX 8 I’ve been on yet. There were scuffs and scrapes all over the bulkhead wall, and it seemed as if they didn’t even vacuum the carpet after the last flight. There were crumbs everywhere.
The (very delayed) departure from YYZ
Pushing off the gate an hour and a half late was the result of this aircraft arriving late from Las Vegas. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, they say. At least for an hour and a half.
Total taxi time from pushback to takeoff was a whopping 31 minutes. It didn’t seem all that long though. There’s always lots of interesting things to see here at YYZ. Especially in the dead of winter.
Food and drinks
The food and a drink situation on Flair Airlines is quite good – if you’re willing to pay for it. The menu is extensive, but nothing is free. Not even a cup of water.
In-flight entertainment
Looking through the extensive menu of food and drink items gave me a twinge of hope that there would be streaming in-flight entertainment available onboard this aircraft.
Ha! What was I thinking? In-flight entertainment (and/or Wi-Fi) does not exist on Flair. Silly me.
Seat comfort
I know. I totally lucked out by being able to nab a seat in the bulkhead row. The legroom was fantastic. That said, the seat itself was narrow, a little lumpy, and quite firm. Seat recline was minimal.
I would imagine the non-bulkhead row seat experience to be very much like what you saw in my Sun Country 737-800 Standard Seat review. Maybe even like my Frontier A320 economy review as well. Either way, RIP to your precious buttocks.
The lavatory
The only part about this Flair Airlines experience which was on par with what Air Canada has to offer was the lavatory. From the perspective of sitting on the can, you’d never know that you’re flying Canada’s cheapest airline.
The descent and arrival into YVR
A very strong headwind put us even more behind schedule, but it may have worked to our advantage. The weather was absolutely perfect as we began the descent into Vancouver over the western Canadian Rockies. The scenery was nothing short of stunning.
The reminder of this being an airline review came back to me real quick as soon as I started feeling the plane being knocked around in the wind just prior to touchdown. It was a butt-clencher all the way in.
Total taxi time was just 10 minutes, but it didn’t matter. We were still 2 1/2 hours late at this point. Swing and a miss I guess.
Pros and cons
I think it goes without saying that the trick to having a good Flair Airlines experience (at least on the 737 MAX 8) is to sit in the bulkhead row. The extra extra legroom made all the difference.
Pros
- However much you have to pay extra for an Extra Legroom seat will be worth every penny on longer flights.
- The menu of food and drink items is awfully impressive.
- Being one of the first to board is a pretty nice perk of the Extra Legroom seat. Just be sure to get your bag tag ahead of time!
Cons
- Extra Legroom passengers do not get free drinks or snacks.
- The seats themselves (not talking about legroom) are terribly uncomfortable.
- Don’t expect the aircraft to be clean and tidy. That would be, like, too much to ask.
