NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE — At 10:23 a.m. Tuesday morning Regional chair Alan Caslin arrived among the vineyards of Niagara-on-the-Lake, not even 15 minutes after leaving behind the skyscrapers and cranes of downtown Toronto.

Caslin and members of the media made the trip from Billy Bishop Airport to the Niagara District Airport by air Tuesday morning to showcase the new regular commuter/connector flights that will be flying between Niagara and Toronto daily, beginning Sept. 15

“We were 14:43 from wheels up to wheels down. It was the fastest I ever got from Toronto to Niagara,” the Regional chair said.

Greater Toronto Airways will be bringing the new flights to Niagara, offering trips from Toronto to Niagara and Niagara to Toronto, Monday to Friday, that will get travellers to their destination before 9 a.m. Return flights will fly to Niagara at 4:30 p.m. and to Toronto at 6 p.m.

“We plan to start with the business sector and expand to the tourism sector,” said Chris Nowrouzi, president and CEO of Greater Toronto Airways.

Flights will be aboard one of three Piper Navajo Chieftain planes. With a maximum speed of 420 km/h, the small planes can carry six or eight passengers to Toronto from Niagara in less than 15 minutes. In fact, after Caslin timed the flight to Niagara at 14:43 one of the pilots remarked, “we can do faster.”

The flights are being billed not only as an easy way for business people to get to Toronto’s downtown core without fighting the traffic of the QEW, but as a connector flight as well. Grimsby regional councillor Tony Quirk said with the new flights travellers can connect with Porter flights out of Billy Bishop to flights across North America.

“You can leave Niagara and be in New York City in three hours,” he said.

“Give Chris (Nowrouzi) and Fly GTA credit, they see a niche and the potential.”

Flights will cost $85 for one-way or a $159 round-trip ticket. The planes convert from a six-seat executive style to an eight-seat commuter style.