Sechelt, and Cowichan Valley travellers won’t be able to use Harbour Air for direct flights to Vancouver anymore starting next month.
Direct seaplane service from Maple Bay in the Cowichan Valley to Vancouver will be suspended starting October 5, Harbour Air announced this week.
The airline says the decision is because of a persistent softening in demand for the route.
Anyone with flights on that route booked after October 5 will be contacted by the airline and offered alternative options, or a full refund. Harbour Air apologizes for the inconvenience and thanks customers for their support.
Flights from Nanaimo and Victoria are still available, and Harbour Air will continue to provide regular service from 12 locations around Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, Gulf Islands, and Seattle.
In Sechelt, seaplane pilots are getting relocated next month, when Harbour Air cancels direct service to Vancouver for winter.
The airline said Thursday it’s suspending the non-stop service to Vancouver starting October 8, but it will return next spring. In the meantime the Sechelt pilots’ base will be closed over winter and the three pilots based there have been offered positions in Vancouver.
A connecting service from Sechelt to YVR south and to Vancouver through Nanaimo will still be available.
