naplesnews.com by Laura Layden | January 16, 2016
Raven Air Island Hoppers is spreading its wings.
Under new ownership, the business will soon start offering scheduled flights between Marco Island and Key West.
The service is expected to take off on Feb. 15.
From the Marco Island Executive Airport, where it has been based since 2008, the company will offer direct flights to Key West on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays, starting at $89 for a one-way ticket (with taxes and fees it comes to $104.18).
Flights, lasting 45 minutes, will leave Marco at 9 a.m. and Key West at 4:30 p.m.
“We have people on the first day,” Raven Air owner Jeffrey Fonner said.
The company has offered on-demand air charters, aerial tours, aircraft maintenance and aerial photography and will continue to do so, he said.
Fonner, 53, purchased the business in July after working more than 20 years in the insurance industry. He owned an insurance agency in Indiana, which he has since sold.
“Aviation was my first passion,” he said.
He relocated to Naples about a year ago. Asked why, he said, “The weather — I don’t like cold weather anymore.”
He sees a strong need for scheduled flights between Marco Island and Key West, with the closest ones operating out of Southwest Florida International Airport in south Fort Myers.
Phone calls and emails have flown in for the new service, with 125 advance bookings made so far, Fonner said.
The flights will be on a 10-seat Cessna 402, with the pilot taking up one of those seats.
The flights, geared to older adults, have been marketed to travel agents and through social media, namely Facebook.
“Our market is generally 45 to 65. That is generally what we are getting,” Fonner said.
He hopes for repeat business and will offer a 10-pack of one-way tickets for $800.
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