Airline to offer 12-minute flights between Toronto and Niagara

Airline to offer 12-minute flights between Toronto and Niagara

If you need to get to Niagara — and you need to do it in 12 minutes — you’re in luck.

  • Starting Sept. 15, Greater Toronto Airways will offer daily flights from Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport to the Niagara District Airport in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
  • For $85 — or $159 round trip — passengers can bypass the brutal QEW gridlock and take a quick trip to wine country.
  • “It’s going to be big,” said Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati of the plans, announced at a press conference on Tuesday. “People are always asking, ‘Is there a quicker way?’ We’ve been trying for years to attract a flight partner.”
  • “It’s frustrating to drive when you can shoot across the lake,” he added.
  • Two round trips will be offered Monday to Friday, all year round. The eight-seater planes will take off from Billy Bishop at 7:15 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Flights from Niagara to Billy Bishop will leave at 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.
  • “We’re very excited,” said David Nissan, vice-president of operations at Greater Toronto Airways, a private airline that specializes in short-range flights and site-seeing services in Ontario, Quebec and the northern U.S.
  • “We’re trying to provide a more-convenient service for people,” Nissan said. “If you look at the commute versus the flight time, there’s a massive difference.”
  • The flight can be completed in just 12 minutes. The test flight at Tuesday’s announcement clocked in at 14 minutes and 45 seconds, Nissan said.
  • “We did go a little slower today, just to enjoy the scenery on the way,” he explained.
  • By comparison, the 115-kilometre drive takes more than an hour — without traffic. ViaRail offers a 90-minute train trip, starting at $39. Robert Kokonis, airline analyst with AirTrav, said he sees value in the service.
  • The flights will provide a reasonably priced option to make a normally sluggish commute in record time, Kokonis explained, particularly for those in the corporate world. “If you’re a time-sensitive person and can afford the airfare . . . it’s a great way to go” he said.
  • Passengers are asked to arrive 15 minutes prior to takeoff. Security is done on board, by way of random checks.
  • And you can leave your passport at home. All you need is a government-issued photo ID and you’re ready to fly, Nissan said.
  • The airline is also planning to offer flights between Toronto and Collingwood and Toronto and Muskoka, he added.
  • Diodati said the new flights are the start of a Niagara Region initiative to create a transportation network. “This is the tip of the iceberg. Niagara is now on the radar.”

Article Published : https://www.thestar.com/business/2016/08/09/airline-to-offer-12-minute-flights-between-toronto-and-niagara.html 

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