New Link Transit Route to Include Stop at Pangborn Memorial Airport

Link Transit's new route, which crucially includes a stop at Pangborn Memorial Airport in East Wenatchee, is slated to be unveiled on Oct. 6.

Ideally, says Jim Kuntz of the Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority, the service will extend far beyond the confines of Pangborn. As he told commissioners on Tuesday, "It's a service that hopefully is a lot more than just airport-related."

The new route is nearly finalized, according to Link spokesperson Eric West, but a smattering of open houses is scheduled for February. Interested parties are invited to Columbia Station (8-11 a.m. and 3-6 p.m., Feb. 12 and 18) and East Wenatchee City Council Chambers (3-6 p.m., Feb. 13).

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The route will operate half-hourly on weekdays. The first bus will depart Columbia Station at 4:30 a.m. Weekend services will run hourly. Horizon Air, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group, deports Pangborn for Seattle every day at 5 a.m. and 1:57 p.m. Arriving flights touch down at 1:17 p.m. and 11:59 p.m.

But effective April 22, the 5 a.m. flight will depart an hour later. This bodes well, one would think, for Seattle-bound flyers who need a lift to Pangborn.

This constitutes a significant investment, according to Commissioner (and one-time Link CEO) Richard DeRock, and will redound to East Wenatchee's benefit as the city undergoes its first redesign in 20 years.

In other news, Link and the Port Authority are eyeing a whole new bus stop to be equipped with electric charger and business incubator. Details are sparse for now, but a feasibility study is expected in the spring, according to Stacie de Mestre, Director of Economic Development and Capital Projects for the Port Authority.