A new nonstop flight service between Juneau and Ketchikan launched June 23.
On most days, the flight departs from Juneau at 3:45 p.m., and the trip lasts 1 hour 25 minutes.
The service is being provided by a partnership between Island Air Express and Alaska Seaplanes.
Andy Kline, marketing manager with Alaska Seaplanes, said there is demand for the route.
“People have always asked for this route,” said Kline. “People in Juneau want to get to Ketchikan, and people in Ketchikan want to get to Juneau effectively.”
The service offers a connection to another flight that goes from Ketchikan to Klawock on Prince of Wales Island, which then continues back on a return trip to Juneau.
The plane used for the route is a Pilatus PC-12, a turboprop with a pressurized cabin that can carry nine passengers.
“It’s kind of a killer app for a lot of these kinds of services,” he said, with “a little bit shorter distances, but people want to get there quickly.”
The plane can also fly above the weather, he said.
“On days like today, you can pop up above the clouds and you’re flying in the sun, and then you just pop down below.”
Alaska Airlines also offers a nonstop flight from Juneau to Ketchikan, which departs in the morning, and a three-hour flight with two stops, which departs at 1:21 p.m.
Kline said they can offer passengers an overall shorter wait time because passengers don’t have to go through security screening. The Transportation Security Administration does not require screening of passengers on planes with nine seats or less, he said.
Kline said passengers only need to arrive 45 minutes before their departure, compared to two hours as recommended by Alaska Airlines for their flights.
“We think people are saving up to two, even three hours, all things considered.”
Kline said there are a lot of people who have medical appointments in Juneau who don’t want to spend a long time on a plane.
“We work with SEARHC a lot as well,” Kline said.
“That’s one way of getting people home from an appointment in Juneau in the afternoon after they’ve been someplace at Bartlett or something like that.”
Kline said they were able to start offering the expanded service after joining with Island Air Express and another service provider.
The partnerships gave Alaska Seaplanes access to a larger fleet of PC-12s, which allowed them to start offering the new route.
Reach reporter Matthew Schmitz at matthew.schmitz@juneauempire.com.
