A new Harbour Air service linking Comox to Vancouver is being hailed as a faster, cheaper alternative to driving and taking a ferry.
“It’s a very pleasant surprise to come here and see a single (engine) Otter rather than the old Beaver,” Comox Valley real estate agent Marty Douglas said Friday as he prepared to board the 14-seater at the Comox Marina on its inaugural run back to Vancouver.
“What it means, really, is that you don’t have to take a chance on getting a flight and getting a seat in the times that you want. Frequently, I’ve tried to fly to Vancouver on a morning flight, and had to take the noon flight because the morning flight was full.”
That’s because the DeHavilland DHC-3 turbine single Otter seats more people than the six-passenger DeHavilland DHC-2 Beaver.
“For a single person … it’s better than BC Ferries, faster downtown to downtown — if you’re going elsewhere, you can connect to Skytrain,” Douglas continued.
The service, which lands near the Vancouver Convention Centre, appeals mainly to businesspeople and some people visiting family members, said Comox Valley community relations association Andrew MacMillan.
Canuck fans have been known to fly over to Vancouver and back for hockey games, he added.
“I’ve had staff just come over to shop for shoes,” Douglas commented.
Cor Coe, who arrived Friday at Comox Marina from Vancouver, is a geologist who travels weekly to his office in Vancouver from his home in the Comox Valley.
“In an hour, I can walk into my office and in an hour, I can be home here, so you can’t beat that.”
The trial runs with the Otter are happening due to increased use on the Comox-Vancouver route, MacMillan explained. The company is exploring longer-term use of the larger aircraft, which will depend on demand.
“We had some very encouraging loads in the winter,” MacMillan said while waiting for the flight to arrive from Vancouver. “In spring now, we’re basically doing really well.”
The basic one-way fare, he said, is $150 with taxes included. Seat sales close to flight times bring the price down.
With more than 50 aircraft, Harbour Air and its affiliate Westcoast Air say they operate the largest all-seaplane fleet in the world.
Single Otters and twin Otters service regularly scheduled flights between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. DHC-2 Beavers service the Gulf Islands and Cessna 185s are available for charter.
Harbour Air offers three flights per day on the Comox-Vancouver run Mondays through Fridays and one each Saturday and Sunday.
As MacMillan noted, the new service would mean people don’t have to drive down to Nanaimo to fly Harbour Air over to Vancouver. The airline provides free parking in Comox.
“I think people today are pressed for time … people want to get to Vancouver as soon as possible. Being able to get there in 50 minutes is a huge factor in us being able to build out business here.”
For more information, visit www.harbourair.com or phone 1-800-665-0212 toll-free.
editor@comoxvalleyvalley.com