Harbour Air returns to Seattle

Harbour Air is putting Seattle back on its map on April 13, with seaplanes again linking Coal Harbour in downtown Vancouver to Lake Union in Seattle after a seasonal pause. The airline says the route will run twice daily and take about one hour. (harbourair.com) This is not a one-route restart. Harbour Air says the Seattle return is part of its biggest seasonal expansion yet, with service growing to as many as 200 daily flights across 15 destinations in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. (harbourair.com) The new piece for Seattle is Victoria. Harbour Air says it will launch its first-ever Victoria-to-Seattle seaplane route on June 11, creating a second cross-border link after the Vancouver service comes back in April. (harbourair.com) The other two new routes stay inside British Columbia but fill obvious coastal gaps. Vancouver to Ucluelet starts June 25, and Vancouver to Campbell River starts July 6, giving the airline new direct links to the west coast of Vancouver Island and the east coast of northern Vancouver Island. (harbourair.com) Harbour Air’s pitch is the same on all four moves: skip the long airport trip and land near the city center. On the Seattle run, that means Coal Harbour to Lake Union instead of Vancouver International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on the edge of each city. (harbourair.com) The company is also widening the network around those headline routes. It says Vancouver to Sechelt begins June 26, Sechelt to Nanaimo resumes May 4, and Vancouver to Powell River returns as a summer seasonal route from April 2. (harbourair.com) Price gives a clue to who Harbour Air thinks will buy these seats. Reported starting one-way fares are about 149 Canadian dollars for Vancouver to Seattle, 199 Canadian dollars for Victoria to Seattle, 209 Canadian dollars for Vancouver to Ucluelet, and 139 Canadian dollars for Vancouver to Campbell River. (curiocity.com) (victoriabuzz.com) (princeoftravel.com) That makes this less like a mass-market airline fare war and more like a time-saving regional shuttle. A one-hour floatplane between downtown Vancouver and downtown Seattle is selling convenience first, especially for spring and summer travelers moving between city centers, island communities, and coastal tourism stops. (harbourair.com) (karryon.com.au)