Patton said several things need to happen before such a service could begin. The port has also been approached by three different businesses about the possibility of providing ferry service. When port officials developed their comprehensive plan, it placed ferry service as one of the goals the port would like to achieve. “They too are a valuable service provider here on Whidbey Island,” he said of Lauver’s company.“The thing that is going to drive this is the price of fuel,” said Jim Patton, executive director for the Port of Coupeville. “So, what am I going to do for the next couple months? I guess I’m going to stay in it for the amusement value.”Ĭity Administrator Paul Schmidt said there is no intention to harm other businesses. “Over the next few months, if you encounter a few major speed bumps or potholes, don’t be surprised by this. “So, I want everyone to know, over the next few months it’s not personal, it’s business,” he said. Lauver did not mention the new service at the council meeting but alluded to future competition. Instead, O’Neill said Kenmore pursued the shuttle service in the “spirit of the grant” to increase the viability and success of air service in the community.Īn advertisement in the June 18 News-Times announced that, beginning July 1, Whidbey-SeaTac Shuttle will offer service to NAS Whidbey by reservation. “We are not seeking money running the shuttle.” “We do not see this as a profit center,” he said. O’Neill explained that the airline’s bid came in lower as a result of Kenmore’s intentions. “Certainly the six miles between Wes Lupien Airport and Ault Field, I think is well within our abilities to serve and to serve well,” the Kenmore representative said. “That was the rationale behind the grant proposal.”Īlthough admittedly not an “over-the-road” company, O’Neill said Kenmore has experience whisking travelers back and forth from Seatac as well as offering transportation in inclement weather. “We’ve got auto-less personnel trapped on the base without any way to get to Wes Lupien Airport,” he said. Since Island Transit does not operate on the base, O’Neill said shuttle service to and from NAS Whidbey has been largely ignored. He added that the grant provides the best chance of keeping air service on Whidbey Island. Whether we are providing airline service in Oak Harbor is another question.” “We have no intention of not being here 20 years down the road. “We have no intention of not being here two years down the road,” O’Neill said. Continued service in Oak Harbor, however, is a big issue. He questioned Lauver’s numbers and assured the council financial viability for the 62-year-old company is not an issue. The bulk of the grant money will be used for promotion and marketing, but it would also supplement a free shuttle service from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, to Island Transit’s downtown Harbor Station, to the airport.Ĭraig O’Neill, Kenmore Air director of marketing and services, said if the airport was not hurting, the grant funds would not have been necessary. Mayor Jim Slowik assured Lauver that his words have not fallen on deaf ears. “The one not in the business of providing ground transportation was way out of the statistical norm,” he said.
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