By Eric Bourque
THE VANGUARD
NovaNewsNow.com
The air service that will begin flying between Yarmouth and Portland next week will start out by offering four round trips per week, but the schedule could evolve from there, says the president of Twin Cities Air Service.
“That’s where we start – where we’ll end up is up to you,” said Nate Humphrey.
“It’s the customer that will drive the schedule, not the airline,” he said last Thursday afternoon. “We will listen to and respond to your needs.”
Humphrey was speaking at the Yarmouth airport during a reception officially welcoming Twin Cities to the local area.
The Auburn, Maine-based company is slated to launch its Portland-Yarmouth service Monday, March 15.
The airline will use a seven-passenger, twin-engine Cessna 402C aircraft and the schedule, initially at least, will have the plane flying between here and Portland Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
The fare for a round trip will be $400, plus tax, per person.
Addressing those on hand for last week’s reception, Humphrey noted that the service is being launched without government subsidies.
“It’s the customer that will drive the schedule, not the airline. We will listen to and respond to your needs.” - Nate Humphrey, Twin Cities Air Service
“It’s a stand-alone project,” he said. “We’re confident we can make it work.”
Said Martin Pink, chair of the Yarmouth International Airport Corporation, “This is a good day for Yarmouth.”
He added that it’s important for travellers to use the new service.
“We want to make it successful for them and successful for our community,” he said.
Yarmouth Mayor Phil Mooney, another of the day’s speakers, cited the need for transportation services between Yarmouth and the United States.
“Links between here and the U.S. are of vital importance to us,” he said.
David Rankin, the airport corporation’s executive director, said the corporation is “excited and pleased to re-establish the connection between Yarmouth and New England.”
The new service will leave Portland at 11 a.m. local time and depart Yarmouth at 4 p.m. local time.
Like everyone else who spoke during last week’s event, Humphrey sounded upbeat.
“Everybody really has responded to this and we’re very, very excited about it,” he said.
