PORT ANGELES — Air service will resume in Port Angeles, but probably without the convenience of security checks at Fairchild International Airport, Port of Port Angeles commissioners have learned.
The Transportation Security Administration usually provides screenings only for passengers on aircraft that carry more than the nine travelers who can fly aboard the Cessna Caravans that SeaPort Airlines will start operating March 1.
That means passengers must disembark when they arrive at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and enter the terminal for security screening.
As for TSA screening, airport and marina manager Jerry Ludke said it remained a possibility at Fairchild but that the federal agency had tried to dampen the port’s expectations.
However, Jennifer States, the port’s director of business development, has met with the staffs of U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray and Rep. Derek Kilmer to solicit their support.
A TSA facility at Fairchild would allow passengers to check themselves and their luggage through to destinations beyond Sea-Tac without going through security screening a second time.
Without a TSA checkpoint in Port Angeles, they must disembark their SeaPort airplane, enter the Sea-Tac terminal, go through security and find their way to their departure gate before continuing their travels.
Paying a private contractor for security screening at Fairchild is a possibility, Ludke and States said, but because of the relatively small number of potential passengers, it could prove cost-prohibitive.
SeaPort has announced it will offer five 40-minute flights each weekday to Sea-Tac and three flights Saturdays and Sundays.
Fully booked, the Caravans would carry a total of 279 passengers each week.
By comparison, a single Boeing 787 can carry 335 passengers in one trip.
Preparing for the resumption in service — previous carrier Kenmore Air departed in November 2014 — the port has spruced up the exterior of the Fairchild terminal and soon will renovate its restrooms, according to Ludke.
The port also has allocated $87,000 for a joint marketing campaign with SeaPort, targeting the airport facility and airline service and touting the North Olympic Peninsula as a travel destination.
A publicity campaign aimed at civic groups and potential corporate customers will start in January and continue through February, Ludke said.
Tickets went on sale Nov. 15, including an introductory $49 fare either way between Port Angeles and Sea-Tac, valid from March 1 to April 14. The price includes all taxes and fees but cannot be changed or refunded.
For tickets or other SeaPort information, visit www.seaportair.com.
_______
Reporter James Casey can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jcasey@peninsuladailynews.com.
