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New seaplane operation set to open in Vancouver
New seaplane operation set to open in Vancouver Wednesday
Veteran airlines have yet to sign on with Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre
VANCOUVER - Vancouver’s new seaplane terminal will open its docks to its first customers on Wednesday.
Tofino Air and Seair Seaplanes are the first two carriers to sign on at Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre amid a continuing spat over passenger fees and bitter talk of industry monopolies. Despite the ongoing controversy, there is an energetic buzz around this week’s anticipated opening.
“We can’t wait to get operating out of there,” said Peter Clarke, CEO of Seair, B.C.’s second-largest float plane company. “We’ve been waiting for this for a long time. ... It will open up so many new destinations to customers.”
Clarke said he sees the new terminal being a boon to travellers. “I believe we’re going to take passengers away from BC Ferries,” Clarke said optimistically. “In our planes it’s a 13-minute flight [from Nanaimo to Vancouver’s harbour].”
Despite the excitement, there remains some question as to whether veteran harbour airlines including Harbour Air and West Coast Air, which account for 85 per cent of all scheduled float plane traffic in the harbour, will sign on with the terminal.
Greg McDougall, CEO of Harbour Air, said his company plans to continue operating from its temporary terminal to the west of the flight centre, at least for now. He said Harbour Air is not happy with the arrangement that would see passengers pay “exorbitant fees” to use the new privately-operated terminal.
Peter Clarke said he does not believe the passenger fee is a major issue. “We’ve negotiated it down to $9.50 per person,” he said, adding that passengers will not see the fee, which will be incorporated into Seair’s flight price. In his mind, the terminal is worth it. “As a passenger it’s impressive. It’s a $20-million facility, and it looks like it.” |
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發表於 2011-5-24 07:26
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