By Pepper Fisher
Dash Air Shuttle, the upstart company that will begin flying customers from Fairchild Airport in Port Angeles to SeaTac and back on August 11, is under attack from Kenmore Air Harbor.
Kenmore used to offer the same service from Port Angeles to SeaTac, but pulled out of Fairchild in 2014.
SimpleFlying.com reports that Kenmore has filed a 96-page complaint with the US Dept. of Transportation alleging Dash is about to start interstate passenger service despite not having the appropriate licensing to do so. In its complaint, Kenmore accuses Dash Air Shuttle of misleading the public, violating US law, and not being a fit and proper airline.
Dash Air Shuttle originally said they would like to expand into interstate routes someday, but they have not, to our knowledge, announced any plans to do so in the near future.
Kenmore also says in their complaint that they “stand to suffer economic and competitive harm from an unfit competitor.” Kenmore has 25 planes that cover the entire region. Dash Air is starting with 3 planes and one route.
Dash Air Shuttle is using Backcountry Aviation, an Oregon-based airline, to manage the operational side of Dash flights, including aircraft maintenance and flight operations, but Simple Flying says flights operated by Backcountry are restricted to Washington State only.
Kenmore’s complaint, beyond Dash competing with them, seems to be based on Dash doing business with companies registered outside the state.
We reached out to Dash Air President Clint Ostler via email. His reply says, “Would love to chat with you about this, but currently working with the lawyers on a response. We expect to have an official statement in the next 24 hours.”