Tailwind Air LLC was an American commuter scheduled air carrier and charter airline based in Westchester Airport and Sikorsky Memorial Airport. Its main seaplane base was New York Skyports Seaplane Base (NYS) and it also owned its own Boston Harbor seaplane base (MA17), near Logan International Airport in Boston.[5] The airline had a sister company named Tailwind Air, LLC, which charters and manages a fleet of land planes.
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| Founded | 2014[1][2][3] | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 2024 | ||||||
| Hubs | New York–Skyport Sikorsky Memorial Airport (Connecticut) Boston Harbor Seaplane Base | ||||||
| Focus cities | New York Skyports Inc. Seaplane Base New York City Boston Harbor Seaplane Base Westchester County Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 16[4] | ||||||
| Destinations | 5 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Rye Brook, NY[3] | ||||||
| Key people | Shane Reynolds Michael Siegel Alan Ram Peter Manice Wensley Barker | ||||||
| Website | http://flytailwind.com/[2][3] | ||||||
History
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Tailwind operated scheduled and charter seaplane services out of the 23rd Street Seaplane base in Manhattan (NYS).[1] Tailwind serviced Boston Logan Airport, Boston Harbor Seaplane Base, Shelter Island, Bridgeport, and the East Hampton Airport and Nantucket Airport[1] with multiple shuttle flights.[2] Initial competitors on these routes included Amtrak and Delta's and American Airlines' hourly shuttle services. Tailwind intended to move its routes to all water airports after regulatory approval. The routes were not serviced by any existing seaplane operator. In-flight service included complimentary snacks and beverages.
Tailwind Air ceased scheduled services in early 2024 and is currently charter-only. The airline reported that scheduled operations had not reached profitability, and they failed to get a large enough investment to continue slow growth in ticketing.[6]
Destinations
editTailwind operated flights to the following destinations:[7][8]
| City | Country (subdivision) | Code | Airport | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | United States (New York) | NYS | New York Skyports Seaplane Base | |
| Shelter Island | United States (New York) | SH1 | Sunset Beach | |
| Bridgeport | United States (Connecticut) | BDR | Sikorsky Memorial Airport | |
| Boston | United States (Massachusetts) | BNH | Boston Harbor Seaplane Base | Service began on August 3, 2021[9] |
| Nantucket | United States (Massachusetts) | ACK | Nantucket Memorial Airport | Service began on May 17, 2023[10] |
| Plymouth | United States (Massachusetts) | PYM | Plymouth Municipal Airport | |
| Provincetown | United States (Massachusetts) | PVC | Provincetown Municipal Airport | Service began on May 25, 2022[11] |
| Newport | United States (Rhode Island) | NPT | Newport State Airport | |
| Dulles | United States (Virginia) | IAD | Dulles International Airport | Service began on October 14, 2022.[12] |
Fleet
editThe Tailwind Air fleet consisted of the following aircraft:
- 3 × Cessna 208EX Caravan
- 1 × Dassault Falcon 50
- 2 x Dassault Falcon 900EX
- 3 × SOCATA TBM-700
- 3 x SOCATA TBM-900
- 1 x Beechcraft King Air 250
- 1 x Cessna Citation CJ3
- 1 x Dassault Falcon 100
- 1 x Pilatus PC-12
Former fleet
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Bachman, Justin (2014-05-02). "A New Airline Wants to Land Business Travelers on the Water". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on May 21, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-21.
- ^ a b c "Tailwind starts service". Archived from the original on 2014-05-21. Retrieved 2014-05-21.
- ^ a b c "Tailwind Flights". Tailwind Airlines. Archived from the original on 2014-05-21. Retrieved 2014-05-21.
- ^ Federal Aviation Administration (29 April 2018). "Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) Part 135 Operators and Aircraft". Retrieved 3 April 2019.
- ^ "Tailwind Boston Seaplane Base". Airnav.com. August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ Jon Chesto (August 2, 2024). "So long, seaplanes: Boston-New York service grounded this summer after selling too few tickets".
- ^ "Shuttles". Tailwind Air. FAQ. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Seaplane Schedule" (PDF). Tailwind Air. May 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ Zea, Tibisay (July 30, 2021). "Puddle Jumping To New York In 75 Minutes: Seaplane Service Set To Launch From Boston Harbor". WBUR. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ Palma, Kristi (April 5, 2023). "Travelers can soon take a seaplane from Boston to Nantucket". Boston.com. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ Palma, Kristi (April 29, 2022). "Travelers can take a seaplane from Boston to Provincetown beginning this month". Boston.com. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ Sachs, Andrea (2022-10-27). "We tried the new seaplane flight from D.C. to New York". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
External links
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