PORT ANGELES — Kenmore Air is considering tripling the number of flights between Port Angeles and Seattle during the six-week Hood Canal Bridge closure in 2009.
The airline company — which operates 9-seat commuter turbo-prop flights between William R. Fairchild International Airport and Seattle’s Boeing Field — will increase the number of flights during the bridge closure, said Dan Audett, Kenmore Air revenue services manager.
No decision had been made about how many flights will be added, he said.
The bridge will be closed during May-June 2009 while its eastern half is replaced by the state Department of Transportation — leaving between 15,000 and 20,000 drivers having to find alternate routes between the Seattle area and the North Olympic Peninsula.
Audett said Kenmore is considering running between 15 to 20 daily flights during the six-week period to provide local residents another option.
Each flight could include up to three additional planes if demand is high enough.
Also, the company has approached the Olympic Medical Center about providing discounts to people who need to visit family members staying at hospitals in Seattle during the closure.
“That would be a great service to those family members and something we would be interested in supporting,” said Kathi Pressley, OMC director of materials arrangement.
Kenmore Air may also be an option for delivering cargo to the hospital during the closure, but Pressley said no agreement has been made with the company.
A one-way ticket from Port Angeles to Boeing Field costs up to $95 per person with Kenmore Air.
Audett said it is unknown whether prices will increase during the bridge closure.
The fuel surcharge is now $10.
Kenmore Air may raise it in September, if gas prices continue to rise, he said.
