MIAMI — Jetlines is determined to get off the ground and now it has some familiar names attached to its flight plan.

Jetlines’ CEO is Eddy Doyle, an industry veteran and a pilot with more than 35 years of industry experience. Doyle joined Air Canada in 1989 and from 2010 through 2018 served in various positions including Director Flying Operations, Managing Director Flight Operations and VP Flight Operations, before departing for Vietnam’s Bamboo Airways where he was Deputy CEO.

Also on Jetlines’ executive team is Vic Charlebois, VP Flight Operations, who previously served in the same role with First Air, Zoom Airlines and Canada 3000 after an 18 year career in the Canadian Air Force.

Meanwhile Jetlines’ board of directors includes former Premier of Quebec and former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, Jean Charest, entrepreneur Ravinder Minhas and David Kruschell, known from his work at Direct Travel, Rider BTI Travel Group and UNIGLOBE One Travel.

The ultra low-cost carrier’s long runway to takeoff, a process that’s been in the works for several years, has looked more promising since December 2019 when it announced it was teaming up with U.S.-based Global Crossing Airlines Group (GlobalX).

Today GlobalX and Jetlines announced they have entered into an Arrangement Agreement pursuant to which the ownership interest of Jetlines will be distributed to the shareholders of GlobalX.

With the closing of the transaction, Jetlines and GlobalX will be operated as separate companies with separate management teams, including Doyle and Charlebois, and separate boards of directors.

Since joining forces with GlobalX in December 2019, Jetlines has had a relatively smooth taxi to take-off position, despite the challenges of launching an airline amid a pandemic.

Before the GlobalX partnership, Jetlines made headlines for its multimillion dollar lawsuit against airline entrepreneur David Neeleman in November 2019, and before that, the resignation of its CEO along with layoffs for most of its staff in October 2019.

In July 2019 Jetlines staged an in-air protest against what it says is decreased airline competition, after unveiling its “playfully provocative” new brand identity in June 2019.

Canada Jetlines had been aiming to operate flights across Canada and provide nonstop service from Canada to the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean starting in December 2019. The ULCC has been trying to get off the ground for several years, since at least 2015.

In September 2020 there was news of Canada Jetlines Vacations, which would offer vacation charters to Florida, Atlantic City and the Caribbean, with aircraft and crew from GlobalX.

Updated April 23, 2021