Canadian low-fare airline Lynx Air is shutting down, customers may be on their own seeking refunds

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Lynx Air signage is displayed at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Hamilton, Ontario, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. Officials with the Calgary-based company announced that it is ceasing operations after filing for creditor protection. (Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press via AP)

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Canadian discount airline Lynx Air will shut down on Monday and suggested that it could cancel many flights over the weekend too, leaving customers scrambling to make new travel plans.

Lynx announced the shutdown late Thursday and told customers to contact their credit-card company about getting a refund for canceled flights. The Calgary, Alberta, airline said it could not help with refunds.

Canada’s transport minister, Pablo Rodriguez, said he was following Lynx’s announcement that it was filing for restructuring. He said he expected Lynx to help passengers get home and fully refund customers.

The shutdown will take effect early Monday. On its website, the airline said, “we will continue to operate the majority of our flights through this weekend.”

The airline said it put “tremendous work” into growth after launching the Lynx brand two years ago, but that inflation, fuel costs, competition and other factors “have ultimately proven too steep a mountain for our organization to overcome.”

Lynx, previously known as Enerjet, made its first flight in April 2022 and competed for leisure travelers against Air Canada and its Rouge subsidiary, WestJet and Flair Airlines.

Just a week ago, Lynx posted on X that it was adding a third country to its network with flights between Toronto and Cancun, Mexico.