PORT ANGELES — A survey aimed at businesses of Clallam County asks whether more organizations would use Kenmore Air if any changes to rates, schedule or service were made.
Pat McCauley, who was contracted to help with marketing the airline, created the survey and is spreading the word among the business community.
“It was created because Kenmore needs to find out why more businesspeople aren’t flying,” she said.
“Being an Alaska [Airlines] partner, we know that a lot of people are leaving the [North Olympic] Peninsula and flying — but not enough of them are flying Kenmore,” he added.
“We want to know what Kenmore can do about that.”
McCauley said about 100 people have responded to the survey so far, and she hopes to triple that by the end of the month, when the survey closes.
183 more than needed
Kenmore has been working to boost the number of people flying between the William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles and Boeing Field in Seattle.
In 2010, a total of 10,183 passengers on Kenmore Air were logged out of Fairchild.
That number was just 183 passenger flights more than the minimum number necessary for the Port of Port Angeles to receive $1 million annually in aid from the Federal Aviation Administration to maintain the airport buildings.
The entitlement money is used for capital projects at the airport and necessary improvements.
Last year, port staff and commissioners worried whether the airport would pass the 10,000 threshold in passenger flights on Kenmore, which flies nine-passenger aircraft between Fairchild and Boeing Field, with ground shuttle service to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
If it hadn’t, there is a one-year grace period in which the passenger totals would have to be boosted, or the aid would be lost.
The money is given to airports with a regularly scheduled route in and out of the airport.
In addition to the 10,183 passengers taking off from Port Angeles, the airline had 9,036 passengers arrive in 2010.
That is a decrease from 2009’s figures, in which 24,513 people either took off or arrived.
To take the survey. visit www.insideout.com/kenmore.
McCauley said she plans later surveys for people who use the airline for leisure.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
