Harbour Air will launch its so-called “nerd bird” service between Vancouver Harbour and Lake Union in downtown Seattle next spring to link the two high tech centres. Vancouver’s tech sector has grown significantly in recent years and the floatplane connection will allow walking-distance connections between the two. “There’s a lot of interest in it, especially with the Cascadia corridor being created and the high-tech interaction between Vancouver and Seattle,” said Harbour Air CEO Greg McDougall. “It is interesting to see how many people are interested in the high-tech relationships between the two cities, and Portland as well. Creating a transportation link is a vital part in making all that work.”
Even in a Beaver or an Otter, the flight will take less than an hour as opposed to a full day of travel by conventional airline or by car. A Customs facility will be needed at the Vancouver seaplane base in Coal Harbour but Seattle already has one because it gets flights from Victoria. McDougall said they’ll start with four flights a day and adjust depending on demand. The service will be weather dependent, too. Seaplane flights are VFR only and there’s no shortage of rough weather in the Pacific Northwest.