Zip (airline)
Encyclopedia
Zip was a Canadian discount airline
headquartered in Calgary
, Alberta
, launched by Air Canada
as a no-frills subsidiary in September 2002. It operated a fleet of 12 Boeing 737
aircraft, each painted in a bright, neon
colour (blue, fuchsia, green and orange) with a single class of service. The subsidiary was headed by former WestJet
CEO, Steve Smith.
As a direct competition to Canada's leading low-cost carrier
WestJet, Zip flew mostly between the western cities of Abbotsford, Calgary
, Edmonton
, Vancouver
, Saskatoon, Regina
and Winnipeg
. Also, Zip flew to Mexico City
.
Zip went out of business in September 2004.
Low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
headquartered in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, launched by Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
as a no-frills subsidiary in September 2002. It operated a fleet of 12 Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
aircraft, each painted in a bright, neon
Neon
Neon is the chemical element that has the symbol Ne and an atomic number of 10. Although a very common element in the universe, it is rare on Earth. A colorless, inert noble gas under standard conditions, neon gives a distinct reddish-orange glow when used in either low-voltage neon glow lamps or...
colour (blue, fuchsia, green and orange) with a single class of service. The subsidiary was headed by former WestJet
WestJet
WestJet Airlines Ltd. is a Canadian low-cost carrier that provides scheduled and charter air service to 71 destinations in Canada, the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean. Founded in 1996, WestJet is currently the second largest Canadian air carrier, behind Air Canada, operating an average of...
CEO, Steve Smith.
As a direct competition to Canada's leading low-cost carrier
Low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
WestJet, Zip flew mostly between the western cities of Abbotsford, Calgary
Calgary International Airport
Calgary International Airport, , is the international airport that serves Calgary, Alberta, Canada and the surrounding region; it is situated approximately northeast of downtown Calgary...
, Edmonton
Edmonton International Airport
Edmonton International Airport is the primary air passenger and air cargo facility in the Edmonton region in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is a hub facility for Northern Alberta and Northern Canada providing regularly scheduled nonstop flights to over fifty communities in Canada, the United...
, Vancouver
Vancouver International Airport
Vancouver International Airport is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, about from Downtown Vancouver. In 2010 it was the second busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements and passengers , behind Toronto Pearson International Airport, with non-stop flights daily to...
, Saskatoon, Regina
Regina International Airport
Regina International Airport is an international airport located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, located south-west and west south-west of the city centre. It is run by the Regina Airport Authority. It is, as of 2010, the second busiest airport in Saskatchewan Regina International Airport is...
and Winnipeg
Winnipeg International Airport
Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, more commonly known as Winnipeg International Airport is an international airport in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the eighth busiest airport in Canada by passenger traffic, serving just over 3.3 million passengers, and the 12th...
. Also, Zip flew to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.
Zip went out of business in September 2004.
Branding
Zip was known for branding its advertising with 3 character words. Among them, "yuk" was printed on the air sickness bags, "bag" was printed on the personal baggage tags, and "yum" was printed on the napkins distributed with beverages onboard. Large print advertisements were erected in many cities, which simply said "fly" and the company's website below, 4321zip.comFleet
| Aircraft | Number | Passengers (Executive*/Economy) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-217 | TBD | 118 | retired after 2004 |
| Boeing 737-2T4 | TBD | 118 | retired after 2004 |
| Boeing 737-2T7 | TBD | 118 | retired after 2004 |
External links
- Zip (Archive)
- CBC News article, Zip