Before the Second World War seaplanes seemed like they might be the future of transportation.
By landing on and taking off from any available patch of open water, any lake or calm bay can become an airport with a significantly smaller investment, thus allowing larger aircraft to visit comparatively remote locations. However, as aviation technology matured and airlines entered the jet age, speed and distance became fair trade offs for fixed runways.
Yet Rye Brook-headquartered Tailwind Air has managed to provide seaplane service in the Northeast since 2014 precisely because they can eschew full-scale runways with their fleet of three Cessna 208B Grand Caravans. The aircraft can only accommodate eight passengers with luggage, but as seaplanes they can take off from the New York Skyport at 23rd Street in Manhattan and land on Boston Harbor at the Reelhouse boat house in East Boston, a stone’s throw from Central Square and the South End.
The ride itself on the New York and Boston Route is roughly 90 minutes under ideal conditions, but Peter Manice, the vice president of scheduled service, stressed the convenience offered.
“We’re actually the only aircraft operator that’s able to land in Boston,” Manice noted. “It’s downtown to downtown. If you’re flying a regular airline, you have to land at an airport. Our planes have the flexibility to land at an airport or in the water. That does lots of good things for passengers – you don’t have to go through the unknown factor of bridge and tunnel congestion going to or from places like LaGuardia or JFK. It’s not a factor for us. You can arrive as little as 10 minutes before your departure time and you are on the plane within 60 seconds essentially.”
As for the onerous TSA process in the airports, you won’t find that with this carrier. Manice added that security lines with Tailwind are always short.
Flights are also available between New York and Nantucket, Provincetown, Shelter Island, Plymouth, and Bridgeport’s Sikorsky Memorial Airport where the Tailwind hangar is located next to the Windsock Inn, a colorful bar that celebrates the airport’s role in aviation history.
“Historically it was more of a charter service, with some limited scheduled flights” Manice said of the routes offered. “Bridgeport benefits from being our home base for our seaplanes. We offer service there four to six times a week, depending on the commute pattern. And we offer very competitive rates with some discounted fares starting at just $75, going up to $150.”
Manice said the company does not see other airlines as competitors to Tailwind.
“I guess Metro-North would be our competition when it comes to New York to Boston. We fly that route three times a day, seven days a week, and we hope to bring that up to a more high frequency service,” Manice said, adding that while there are some private services that can arrange helicopter flights that are even more direct, their pricing is significantly higher, particularly for Boston which lacks private helipads for passengers in the city’s core.
There are some challenges that come with the seaplane emphasis. The small flights can fill up quickly, and routes may change drastically in response to changes in demand or weather. The planes are also unpressurized and lack in-flight amenities or restrooms, although Manice said that the low altitudes and short flight times combined with ample legroom and a policy that allows pets in the cabin can offset those drawbacks.
And using seaplanes is only the start, according to Manice.
“We have a vision of building up a true regional urban mobility network that focusses on the Northeast Corridor,” he said. “Under 200-to-300-mile regional aviation is almost non-existent these days, but we’re excited to build a short-range network over the next five to ten years in a dense area of the United States so we can be early adopters of proven next generation electric or hybrid aircraft as well.”
