Second scheduled
airline to open

By Jessica Edwards

Charter company Air Excursions expects to receive final federal approval for its commuter airline certificate in the next two weeks, and may offer scheduled flights as soon as July 4.

“We’re looking forward to serving the Southeast communities to a friendlier, higher standard,” said airline owner Mike Loverink. “It’s pretty much a done deal.”

Upon its authorization, Air Excursions will provide flight service at least twice daily to Haines, Skagway, Gustavus, Hoonah, and Juneau, and, within two months, will carry a portion of the U.S. mail delivered to those communities.

“The (postal service) tries to serve the communities as best as possible. With two airlines delivering mail, it can be done in a more timely manner,” Loverink said.

The company would assess local demand and research past records to determine times for future additional scheduled flights out of Haines, he said. The company operates five Cherokee 6 aircraft and hopes to add a nine-passenger Chieftain and a Cessna 206 high-winged plane in the coming months.

With the exception of floatplane companies, a single commuter airline, Wings of Alaska, has offered scheduled flights in all of Southeast Alaska, including Haines, since L.A.B. Flying Service was shut down last June.

Wings advertises six, round-trip flights daily between Haines and Juneau and two between Haines and Skagway.

The Federal Aviation Administration last June shut down L.A.B., a 52-year-old Haines-based business serving 10 Southeast communities and employing upwards of 50 people, for continuing maintenance and compliance problems.

Two other airlines serving Haines in recent years, Haines Airways and Skagway Air, closed in 2001 and 2007, respectively.

Air Excursions was first granted commuter status in 2001, said Loverink. But with four other commuter airlines competing for freight, mail, and passengers, he said, activating commuter status for Air Excursions didn’t make sense at the time.

Closure of three airlines over the past decade left a gap in service. When L.A.B closed its doors last summer, Wings expanded flight offerings in Southeast to meet demand, and Air Excursions expanded charter service and opened a Haines office.

Flight-seeing businesses, including Mountain Flying Service and Fly Drake, also picked up additional charter business.

Loverink said he started paperwork towards a commuter certificate in October, after the dust had settled from the busy summer season.

He said he expected final U.S. Department of Transportation approval to be granted in about two weeks, the normal turn-around time once the agency finds an airline fit for commuter service.

Chamber of Commerce president Karl Heinz said from a business perspective, it was good to see businesses “growing, not shrinking.”

Competition generally helps the consumer, said Heinz. “I think it will be a plus for the business community.”

Having a second carrier for the mail might make a difference if one airline wasn’t  flying  and the other was, he said.

Heinz said Haines history seems to show the community can support two commuter air carriers.

Air Excursions is currently licensed for charter flights and continues to be available for on-demand service until it is granted commuter status, said Loverink. Van service is available from the airport to Haines.

Air Excursions has provided air taxi service in Southeast Alaska since 1991, when Steve Wilson founded it. Loverink, a pilot and former maintenance director for Haines Airways, bought the company in 2000.