Ottawa airport ends deal with Sunwing, Flair ground crews

The Ottawa airport is calling off its deals with the firm that manages ground crew for Sunwing and Flair airline over “degradation of service levels”, a statement by the Airport said Wednesday.

“Both airlines contract Menzies, a third-party ground handling firm, for their aircraft marshalling and baggage handling activities. Following written warnings to Menzies, the issues reached untenable levels in the past week, leading the OIAA to provide Menzies with a 30-day notice of termination of its operating license at the airport on Monday, March 13,” the statement by the airport read.

“The service levels passengers from both airlines have had to endure do not meet the customer experience threshold the OIAA is committed to facilitate. We will continue to work with the airlines to ensure that their passengers enjoy smooth, efficient travel when flying to and from the Ottawa International Airport,” the statement added further.

“The termination action was taken by Ottawa International Airport. This will have no impact on Flair’s operations…We work closely in cooperation with our airport partners and will continue to provide low-fare flying from Ottawa,” a spokesperson for Flair airlines stated, assuring that the change in the ground crew would not affect airline operations.