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The float plane operators in the lower mainland doing quick hops from Vancouver to Victoria or Whistler don't really have a lot of concern for money, I don't th

The float plane operators in the lower mainland doing quick hops from Vancouver to Victoria or Whistler don't really have a lot of concern for money, I don't think. Their passengers aren't especially price-sensitive and there's more demand than supply a lot of the time. And the motor manufacturer is funded by a Singaporean private investor. It's a gamble that people will care about environmental concerns more than price. In Vancouver that's a decent bet.

Scoundreller 6y ago
While the pax may not be sensitive to price, the providers still want to drive down their costs. Probably plenty of people in BC that would loooooove the combo of quick transport and looking down on those carbon-burning ferry/bus riders going to the islands/Whistler. Could likely sell tickets for more. Taking a gas plane and buying offsets sounds as unfun at parties as someone saying they bought a Corolla and offsets. Technical correctness matters less than image.
- notatoad 6y ago
  The provider here is the one developing the plane though - harbour air isn't building a plane to sell to other operators, they're the one operating the flights. If they really want to drive costs down, they must have decided this is a good way to do it. But yeah, I think they're mostly selling the image here. Being able to fly to Whistler in half the time of driving and tell the people you're meeting there that you took the greener method is worth a lot to some people (and that's a good thing)
  - Scoundreller 6y ago
    Entirely possible the airline is getting paid to trial the tech. Not sure where else in the world people would even pay more for such short hops because it’s electric. I’m sure Whistler city council is looking for a way to ban carbon av emissions on their landing lake. Probably can’t because feds, but they would if they could.
    - ska 6y ago
      > Not sure where else in the world people would even pay more This doesn't match what the company is saying - they are looking at it as a way to reduce running costs, not increase ticket prices. As far as the benefits on emissions side, I suspect it has little to do with marketing "green" to ticket buyers, and more to do with mollifying groups pressuring the harbor authorities to reduce allowed # of flights.
      - Scoundreller 6y ago
        > mollifying groups pressuring the harbor authorities to reduce allowed # of flights. I doubt they’ll be any happier if the flights were “green”, but they may have shot themselves in the foot if pollution was their core complaint. But I’ve seen how these things go. Toronto Island airport wanted to expand to operate turbojets. Somehow complaints about noise helped kill the project, even though turboprops are basically turbojets with a wharbling propellor. The noise studies showed that the loudest things were loud cars and motorcycles at the waterfront...
        ska 6y ago
        True, the thing about advocacy groups like this is that their stated goals are not always their actual goals. Might just be driven by NIMBY. At any rate, I was thinking of the pollution angle which has some currency in the area.
nostromo 6y ago
I don't believe this is correct. These aren't like chartered jets. I've taken seaplane flights around the Northwest and the folks on the flights tend to be middle-class vacationers and business commuters, much like you'd see on any other commercial flight.
- reaperducer 6y ago
  Can confirm. Had to get between Seattle and Vancouver quickly for business one day, and took a seaplane from South Lake Union to Coal Harbour. Took care of things in town, then took a leisurely Amtrak back to Seattle Union Station.

Scoundreller 6y ago

While the pax may not be sensitive to price, the providers still want to drive down their costs. Probably plenty of people in BC that would loooooove the combo of quick transport and looking down on those carbon-burning ferry/bus riders going to the islands/Whistler. Could likely sell tickets for more. Taking a gas plane and buying offsets sounds as unfun at parties as someone saying they bought a Corolla and offsets. Technical correctness matters less than image.

notatoad 6y ago
The provider here is the one developing the plane though - harbour air isn't building a plane to sell to other operators, they're the one operating the flights. If they really want to drive costs down, they must have decided this is a good way to do it. But yeah, I think they're mostly selling the image here. Being able to fly to Whistler in half the time of driving and tell the people you're meeting there that you took the greener method is worth a lot to some people (and that's a good thing)
- Scoundreller 6y ago
  Entirely possible the airline is getting paid to trial the tech. Not sure where else in the world people would even pay more for such short hops because it’s electric. I’m sure Whistler city council is looking for a way to ban carbon av emissions on their landing lake. Probably can’t because feds, but they would if they could.
  - ska 6y ago
    > Not sure where else in the world people would even pay more This doesn't match what the company is saying - they are looking at it as a way to reduce running costs, not increase ticket prices. As far as the benefits on emissions side, I suspect it has little to do with marketing "green" to ticket buyers, and more to do with mollifying groups pressuring the harbor authorities to reduce allowed # of flights.
    - Scoundreller 6y ago
      > mollifying groups pressuring the harbor authorities to reduce allowed # of flights. I doubt they’ll be any happier if the flights were “green”, but they may have shot themselves in the foot if pollution was their core complaint. But I’ve seen how these things go. Toronto Island airport wanted to expand to operate turbojets. Somehow complaints about noise helped kill the project, even though turboprops are basically turbojets with a wharbling propellor. The noise studies showed that the loudest things were loud cars and motorcycles at the waterfront...
      - ska 6y ago
        True, the thing about advocacy groups like this is that their stated goals are not always their actual goals. Might just be driven by NIMBY. At any rate, I was thinking of the pollution angle which has some currency in the area.

nostromo 6y ago

I don't believe this is correct. These aren't like chartered jets. I've taken seaplane flights around the Northwest and the folks on the flights tend to be middle-class vacationers and business commuters, much like you'd see on any other commercial flight.

reaperducer 6y ago
Can confirm. Had to get between Seattle and Vancouver quickly for business one day, and took a seaplane from South Lake Union to Coal Harbour. Took care of things in town, then took a leisurely Amtrak back to Seattle Union Station.