Pitt Meadows Regional Airport is going to offer a more direct route to Victoria.
Harbour Air Group announced it will be expanding its service to include service to Victoria from Pitt Meadows twice daily seven days a week.
Beginning Sept. 22, the new service will fly out of Pitt Meadows to Victoria in the morning, followed by a round trip midday and a final flight back to Pitt Meadows in the evening.
Passengers will check in at Pitt Meadows Regional Airport and be escorted down to the river dock to board the DHC-3 Turbine Single Otter 14-passenger seaplane. Flight time is estimated at 35 minutes to Victoria.
Meredith Moll, with Harbour Air Group, says her company recognized the need for a centrally located commuter service to Victoria.
“We liked the idea of a central location, something that was more convenient for our customers having to commute,” says Moll.
Booking flights for the new service will begin online and over the phone later this month.
Harbour Air will continue to offer flights to Victoria from its other locations, including Richmond and Vancouver.
Harbour Air Group consists of Harbour Air Seaplanes, Westcoast Air, Whistler Air, Tantalus Air and Aeroflite International Services.
In 2011, Whistler Air operated a commuter flight service out of Pitt Meadows called the Georgia Strait Connector. The flight took passengers from Pitt Meadows to downtown Vancouver, then Victoria.
Moll says Harbour Air reviewed the strategy and found customers wanted a more direct Victoria flight.
“We see our market as more direct time savings,” she said.
Harbour Air purchased Whistler Air in 2012.