Gull Air Returns, With Hopes Of Daily Commuter Service To Nantucket
Jason Graziadei •
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Longtime island residents may remember Gull Air, the small commuter airline that started in the late 1970s, running "puddle jumpers" between Nantucket and Hyannis. Under former owner Bill McGrath and a group of Nantucket "friends and neighbors," the small airline is making its return to the skies.
Gull Air announced this week that it was launching a limited weekend service between Hyannis and Nantucket at $85 per seat, one-way, starting Friday, January 31st. The goal, according to Gull Air partner Billy Cassidy, is to earn final commuter authority status from the FAA, which would allow it to offer daily scheduled flights.
"The ultimate goal is not to fly to the Vineyard or New Bedford or Boston, it’s simply that we want to be your bridge to the mainland,” Cassidy said. “We will grow organically and slowly, but the whole idea and entire business plan behind this venture is there will be a plane in Hyannis, a plane on Nantucket, and a plane in the air.”
As a bonus, Gull Air, which "pretty much started the whole flying over Chinese food thing," will also be offering Friday night Chinese food delivery from the Bamboo restaurant in Hyannis for a $20 fee per order.
Since the advent of the fast ferries operated by Hy-Line Cruises and the Steamship Authority, the commuter airlines that previously served Nantucket with numerous daily flights to Hyannis have slowly dwindled or died completely. The former Island Airlines abruptly shut down in 2015, and Cape Air's schedule has been significantly curtailed since its heyday. Other outfits like Southern Airways have attempted to resurrect more regular commuter flights from Hyannis to Nantucket but failed.
Cassidy told the Current that Gull Air hopes to buck that trend, and is banking that the large demand for airline commuter service that once existed on Nantucket is still there. While Gull Air has been running charter flights in recent years, the goal has always been a return to the commuter service.
The airline now has three Cessna 402C twin-engine planes, the same type of aircraft that was the hallmark of commuter air travel to and from Nantucket for decades.
"We’re not going to be competing against the Steamship or Hy-line," he said. "This is different, and it will always be aspirational for most, but I’m hard-pressed to think there are less people interested in flying than 10 years ago."
Gull Air's current license only allows it to offer the nine scheduled flights on weekends, but Cassidy said the airline is about six months away from earning commuter authority from the FAA which would allow daily scheduled flights.
Cassidy added that the fact Bill McGrath is back at the helm gave him confidence to get involved with Gull Air.
"The thing that means everything to me is that if Bill McGrath wasn’t involved, I wouldn’t consider this," he said.
See the preliminary schedule for Gull Air's weekend service below:
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