Zip (airline)
Zip was a Canadian discount airline headquartered in Hangar 101 at Calgary International Airport, Calgary, Alberta.[1] It was 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.[2]
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Founded | September 2002 | ||||||
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Ceased operations | September 2004 | ||||||
Fleet size | 12 | ||||||
Parent company | Air Canada | ||||||
Headquarters | Calgary International Airport Calgary, Alberta | ||||||
Key people | Steve Smith | ||||||
Website | 4321ZIP.com |
![](../I/m/Zip_Boeing_737-200_Davies.jpg)
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.[3]
Zip ceased operations in September 2004 when Air Canada resumed a full schedule on its western routes.[4]
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 on board. Large print advertisements were erected in many cities, which simply said "fly" and the company's website below, 4321zip.com. Today, the website redirects to the official Air Canada website, along with other subsidiaries' websites.
Fleet
![](../I/m/Boeing_737-217-Adv%2C_Zip_Air_AN0276019.jpg)
Zip operated a fleet consisting entirely of Boeing 737-200 aircraft, all obtained from the existing Air Canada fleet.[5] When Zip shut down in 2004, the aircraft were retired.[4]
Aircraft | Number | Passengers (Executive*/Economy) |
Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Boeing 737-200 | 20 | 118 | retired after 2004 |
Livery
Zip's aircraft were painted in bright, neon colours on the fuselage, tail, and engines. Specifically, the colours blue, fuchsia, green, and orange were painted.
The fuselage was painted in the aircraft's colour, except for a white silhouette of a bee, with white dots trailing it. These dots extended to the back to the fuselage, leading to the tail of the aircraft, where Zip's logo was painted. On the engines, Zip's website, 4321zip.com was printed in white.
Destinations
![](../I/m/Zip_Boeing_737-200%3B_C-GCPN%2C_July_2003_(6169024761).jpg)
As of August 2004, Zip served the following destinations:[6][3]
City | Airport | Notes |
---|---|---|
Calgary, Alberta | Calgary International Airport | Launch Destination, Headquarters |
Edmonton, Alberta | Edmonton International Airport | Launch Destination |
Montreal, Quebec | Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport | |
Ottawa, Ontario | Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport | |
Regina, Saskatchewan | Regina International Airport | |
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport | |
Vancouver, British Columbia | Vancouver International Airport | Launch Destination |
Victoria, British Columbia | Victoria International Airport | |
Winnipeg, Manitoba | Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport | Launch Destination |
References
- "Directory:World airlines." Flight International. 1–7 April 2003. ""Zhejiang Airlines" p. 98. "Hangar 101, 8050 22 Street North East, Calgary, Alberta, T2E 7H6, Canada"
- Pigg, Susan. "Zip, WestJet in fare war that could hurt them both ; Move follows competition bureau ruling Battle could intensify when Zip flies eastward." Toronto Star. January 22, 2003. Business C01. Retrieved on September 30, 2009.
- "Zip enters no-frills airline war". CBC News. Archived from the original on 10 October 2004. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- "Air Canada's Zip shut down". January 10th, 2014. CBC Canada.
- Weber, Terry. "Air Canada to open Zip". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- "Zip - Canada's low fare, high value airline". Zip. Archived from the original on 14 August 2004. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zip (airline). |
- Zip (Archive)
- CBC News article, Zip