Seaplane takes inaugural Key West-Coconut Grove flight

Palmair to operate hour-long flights on 10-seat seaplane

MIAMI – If air travel used to be glamorous, the owners of a new airline called Palmair want you to think of their service as a reprisal.

On Thursday, a rugged Havilland seaplane arrived at the Shake-a-Leg Marina after its inaugural hour-long flight from Key West to Coconut Grove. The history of air travel there wasn't lost on business partner Gailen David. 

"A lot of people don't realize this but city hall actually used to be the Pan Am air terminal here in the '30s and '40s and flights would take off from here going to the Caribbean and Latin America," David said. 

Owner Marcus Sessoms said bringing business to Coconut Grove was special. 

"I picked Coconut Grove as my first destination because of the history," Sessoms said. 

Sessoms runs Key West Seaplane Adventures, which operates trips in the same type of aircraft between Key West and the Dry Tortugas. The plane flies low so passengers can see marine life, and music is pumped into headsets.

The ten passengers on each Palmair flight will get a similar experience. They will also be treated with pre-flight sparkling wine and strawberries, according to David. 

"We'll play some fun music. It'll be a great flight -- we'll put comfortable commuter seats in the planes," Sessoms said. 

"We wanted to being that seaplane, that nostalgia, that style back to the Grove and start with a service that people need," David said. 

Palmair has not yet listed ticket prices or a flight schedule. Sessoms said he hopes to have the service up and running within a month.