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YEARS FLYING THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
jorge cavello photo
Todd Banks, President
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EVEN DECADES IS A LONG time when you think about a
company’s longevity, especially when you look at it from
my perspective. In fact I would say it’s quite the milestone,
and one that I’ve been personally involved with for much
of my life. This year Kenmore Air is celebrating its 70th
Anniversary and as I look back on the company’s history I
am constantly humbled by the customers who choose to fly with us,
as well as the many great employees who work here.
A three-generation family-run business, Kenmore Air began in 1946 by my
grandfather Bob Munro. His son and
daughter—my uncle Gregg Munro and
my mother Leslie Banks—worked tirelessly to grow the business into what it
is today. They passed the torch on to me
ten years ago and I’ve been the company president since. A lot has changed
since my first job selling parts in the
Parts Department in 1992. When I took
over as president we had 19 airplanes
in our fleet. Today we have grown to 25
airplanes. As we have done in the past,
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our growth has been measured and
deliberate. At the heart of our growth,
safety and customer service have been
the driving force.
In 2004 we added a land plane
division to increase flight options for
our customers, both to meet increased
demand and to provide predictable
year-round service. These IFR-equipped
aircraft allow us to offer a dependable
schedule, particularly on those days
when weather conditions necessitate
IFR flight.
Just over a year ago construction was
completed on our 14,000 square foot
hangar, a state of the art facility that was
built next to our main office on Lake
Washington. This new hangar allows us
to house all of our maintenance under
one roof, gives our mechanics a firstclass environment in which to work,
and it supports additional maintenance
projects that may have otherwise been
turned away. And while this is not
necessarily something you might notice
as a passenger, it is something that we
are proud of.
One item you will likely notice as you
travel with us is the majority of our float
planes are outfitted with EDO floats.
Founded in 1925 by Earl Dodge Osborn,
the EDO Company was the pioneer in
manufacturing aluminum floats. EDO
Floats has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Kenmore Air since 1998 and continues to be known worldwide as “the
trusted expert” in float design. Over 90
years since its founding, EDO is developing an all-new carbon fiber float, the
first of its kind in the seaplane industry.
These new floats are extremely durable
and they are lighter, which means we
can fly our planes more economically.
These are just a few things that
come to mind when I reflect on my
time here, as well as the past 70 years.
And while you’re enjoying your flight
and the view (I hope it’s a sunny day)
please know that everyone at Kenmore
Air is committed to providing the best
customer service, an enjoyable, safe
flying experience, and that your flight
takes you to a joyful place. Knowing all
the places we fly, I’m willing to bet that
is a foregone conclusion. Let me take
this opportunity to thank you for flying
with Kenmore Air, and whether it’s your
first time with us, or you’re one of our
countless dedicated regular passengers,
we look forward to serving you. And
on behalf of all of our pilots, mechanics, service agents, and administrative
staff, we look forward to serving you for
another 70 years.
Thank you for flying with us …