Aug 04 2006

It's simply another step in opening the Comox Valley up to the world - and the world to the Comox Valley. That's how Comox Airport manager Chuck Fast describes the impact of Air Canada Jazz's brand new direct Calgary-to-Comox flight that landed on Island pavement for the first time Wednesday.

"This service ... is doing that," said Fast about the daily flight. "What it does for the airport is it allows us to prove the market."

Until this new flight was launched, the only other connection to an international airport was the Air Canada-affiliated Central Mountain Air's flight to Vancouver. In this case, Calgary simply represents more options for travellers coming to and leaving the Comox Valley.

"Customers aren't traveling point-to-point; they're traveling beyond," said Jazz spokesperson Rob Kidner about the potential popularity of the flight.

It's a new service that could easily expand as well, said others.

"Air Canada and other carriers will be watching to see how many people will be using (it)," said Terry Law, chair of the Comox Valley Airport Commission.

If passenger counts for the first flight are any indication, the new service should be quite successful. The flight landing in Comox at 12:20 p.m. on Tuesday had 48 of its 50 seats filled. When that plane left the Valley at 12:50 p.m., 44 seats were being used.

"It will put us on the international stage fairly quickly," said Law about the effect of a new popular service to the Valley.

If airlines and other airports see Comox's popularity increasing, they may be able to move forward with direct flights into the United States - something they've been working on for awhile.

It's a good step for both directions, note those involved - not only enabling those from the Island to easily access other connector airports - but also to allow more and more people to discover the Valley.

For example, the flight coming in from Calgary will have originally departed from Yellowknife - creating another great market for advertising getaways to the Valley, said airport staff.

That's all good news for the commission that runs the airport, added Law - as it helps them continue to move forward in their goals.

"Our mandate is always to promote business in the Comox Valley," said Law. "(This) means it will open us up ... and that's good for our commission."