Stephen Jones: Latest News

The New York-based company that seized four leased aircraft from Flair Airlines last weekend says the move was a “last resort” following months of missed payments, denying accusations it was working with another carrier to push the low-cost airline out of business.

The head of Flair Airlines is accusing one of Canada’s two major airlines of attempting to kneecap the discount carrier’s operations by trying to lease four planes that were recently seized from it due to overdue payments.

Flair Airlines’ CEO says he’s confident his ultra-low-cost airline is ready to take advantage of the summer travel boom after satisfying regulators that it’s Canadian enough to fly.But even as its chief executive concedes to Global News there’s room for improvement, analysts say headwinds facing the aviation industry like soaring fuel prices could actually bode well for the embattled airline.Flair spent much of the spring season trying to prove that the Edmonton-based airline was Canadian enough after the country’s transportation watchdog said in an initial ruling on March 3 that it might be in violation of rules limiting foreign ownership.But after Flair overhauled its board of directors and made a series of governance changes to limit the influence of one of its major U.S.-based investors, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) ruled on June 1 that the airline indeed met the letter of the law to keep flying.“Flair is a Canadian airline, full stop,” CEO Stephen Jones told Global News in an interview this week.While the CTA’s final ruling landed in Flair’s favour, the agency confirmed to Global News on multiple occasions that if its review found Flair did not meet the standards of Canadian ownership, its licences to fly would be revoked.That led to uncertainty in the eyes of some analysts and consumers as to whether Flair would be able to fulfill bookings for summer travel.While he maintains Flair’s Canadian status was not in doubt internally, Jones said the months of speculation opened the door for the airline’s competitors to cast aspersions.“I think that our competitors made some good use of the fact that the questions were being raised.

A mental health blogger died after "ingesting" something at a mental health unit in Stockport.

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has found that Flair Airlines is Canadian, it announced Wednesday.

Flair Airlines downplayed concerns Thursday that the ultra low-cost carrier could lose its licence to fly in Canada.Stephen Jones outlined steps the airline is taking to overhaul its board and refinance its debt to reduce foreign influence on the company.Flair is in the midst of a licence review from the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), which said in a preliminary finding last month that the Edmonton-based airline might not meet Canadian ownership requirements to fly in the country.The air industry watchdog said Flair’s Miami-based business partner, 777 Partners, might have “control in fact” over the airline, which would violate rules under the Canada Transportation Act. Flair Airlines could be grounded in Canada over foreign control concerns Flair has until May 3 to respond to the CTA’s concerns, or it risks having its licence suspended.Jones told reporters Thursday the company will meet that deadline to formally respond and added there is “zero chance” the company loses its licence on that day.May 3 is not a “drop dead date,” Jones said, but is rather a point at which the CTA is expecting a formal response.

LANCASTER, Pa. - A man convicted of the random slaying of a stranger while he was under the influence of drugs in Pennsylvania last year has been sentenced to decades in prison.Stephen Jones, 28, of Brecknock Township was sentenced Tuesday to 35 to 80 years after pleading guilty in Lancaster County to third-degree murder, robbery and a weapons violation, LNP newspaper reported.Prosecutors said Jones was under the influence of methamphetamine when he used his pickup truck to force a car off a road near Ephrata in August 2020.

EDEN, Texas – A West Texas man accused of fatally shooting two sheriff's deputies was angry they were in his yard trying to catch a dog and he told them he would open fire if they didn't leave, a witness said.

Factories swap occasionwear for masks, visors and scrubs.

The spending limit for contactless card payments will jump to £45 on April 1, under emergency measures to reduce cash handling amid the coronavirus outbreak.