OWG, a new Quebec-based air carrier

Nolinor, an airline based in Mirabel, is well known for its flights to the Quebec Great North. It has just announced the launch of a new company: OWG(Off We Go).

OWG is positioned on the tourist market, and will sell air tickets only (and not packages, unlike Transat for example).

The company has acquired a fleet of Boeing 737-400 aircraft. While the interior of each unit has been refurbished and modernized, it should be noted that Nolinor has chosen units that are rather old on the used market. The featured aircraft – C-GGWX – just turned 30 years old, and had its first flight in 1990 with Icelandair.

As the company states in its press release:

In order to offer competitive rates, OWG has opted for proven aircraft.

OWG

OWG insists that its Boeing 737s are not “MAX” versions. Boeing 737 MAXs have been grounded since March 2019, penalizing the many airlines that had chosen this aircraft (starting with Air Canada and WestJet).

This is an excellent way for OWG to start with competitive aircraft in a market that is currently destabilized.

OWG has received approval from the Minister of Transport to operate international scheduled flights on 6 July 2020. According to the countdown found on OWG’s website, the first flights are expected to take place starting September 1, 2020.

As Nolinor’s president told La Presse, OWG is not a low cost airline.

When you look at how the airlines have handled people who wanted a refund, I think there’s room for sympathy. We don’t intend to replace anyone, but to carve out a niche for ourselves. If we had to produce a Passenger Bill of Rights, it is because, somewhere along the line, the companies took passengers for granted.

Marco Prud'Homme - président de Nolinor

We wish OWG a good flight, which gives hope for a new competition for flights to the SOUTH!

All photos in this article are fromOWG.