Florida airline adds flights to Bahamas
Friday, May 21, 2004
FORT PIERCE, USA: According to the Palm
Beach Post, a Fort Pierce-based commuter airline has added international
flights to the Bahamas. Florida Coastal Airlines' twice-a-week service from
St. Lucie International Airport leaves Wednesday and Friday mornings, bound
for Treasure Cay and Marsh Harbour, said company President Dean Forest.
Return service to Fort Pierce from both
Bahamas locations is available Monday and Wednesday afternoons. A one-way
ticket costs from $99 to $189, he said.
Forest, who has more than 30 flights out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood
International Airport to Key West, Marathon and now the Bahamas, wants to
enter Palm Beach International Airport by the end of the year. He said he's
hoping to raise $750,000 to double his fleet of three 9-passenger seat Cessnas.
"We feel there is a vacant niche in the state of Florida for nonstop,
reliable, safe commuter service," he said. "We are a real airline. I don't
know if people realize that."
Dick Haller, marketing director for PBIA,
said he has been in talks with Forest about adding service from West Palm
Beach to Key West, Jacksonville and the Bahamas.
"We know there is a big market especially for Key West since it's convenient,
but a little far to drive for the weekend," Haller said. "We figured a flight
out there would be pretty good with small aircraft."
Haller said he has set up a meeting for
Forest with the federal Transportation Safety Administration. "We are willing
to do everything we can to help him get here," he said.
Florida Coastal also has teamed up with US Airways in ticketing and baggage
for flights from Fort Lauderdale to Key West and Marathon, said Amy Kudwa, a
US Airways spokeswoman. She said you can buy a flight to the Bahamas online in
which one leg is handled by US Airways and the other leg by Florida Coastal,
all for one fare.
"Most of the major carriers also have
ticketing and baggage agreements," Kudwa said. "This agreement with Florida
Coastal allows us to protect our customers and rebook them on these flights."
Forest said he expects the agreement could
offer a big boost in sales for the privately held company, but declined to
cite numbers. Florida Coastal employs 15.
Forest, a former captain at TWA, founded
Florida Coastal in 1995 and began scheduling flights in 2002. He said he's
going to do more flights out of Fort Pierce to serve the Treasure Coast and
would like to add flights again to Orlando. Forest said it's hard to get an
airline going from scratch, but that it's worth it.
"I made every mistake there is, and I won't
make them again," he said. "It's an exciting business, moving people safely
and reliably and making them happy."
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