The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
Balloon ride revenue on rise
Second pilot, new hot air craft for Wolfville firm
Hot air balloon pilot Seth Bailey and his wife, Katherine Bailey, more than tripled the revenue of East Coast Balloon Adventures last year and are expanding again.
“This year, we have two balloons,” said Seth.
“The new one arrived in February, and I bought it to take up smaller groups . . . . It will take up two or three people plus the pilot.”
The Wolfville company's main balloon can take up to five people.
Even at $330 per adult for a ride, it's become a popular recreational activity during the pandemic as Atlantic Canadians search for healthy adventures.
The Baileys started East Coast Balloon Adventures in 2012 with a second-hand rig. Five years into the business, they took the plunge and bought a new balloon for $78,000.
But it has not been the couple's main gig. Both have other full-time jobs. In addition to being a Transport Canada-licensed hot air balloon pilot and instructor, he's a vice-president with a company that supplies police departments with uniforms and equipment. She works as an administrator for an accounting firm.
Until the end of the 2019 tourism season, the Baileys only offered balloon rides on weekends when their jobs allowed. Then the pandemic hit.
Even though tourism from the rest of Canada slowed to a trickle, those within the Atlantic bubble became eager for recreational activities.
By the end of the 2019 season, there was a waiting list of people wanting to go ballooning.
The Baileys made arrangements to gain more flexibility in their work schedules and started to take people up for rides on a daily basis, weather permitting.
A private company, East Coast Balloon Adventures does not divulge revenue or profit but Seth acknowledged revenue grew by roughly 250 per cent last year, compared to 2019, as the number of flights soared. Profit climbed even more as fixed costs were spread out over a bigger customer base.
“We had more demand in 2020 flying seven days a week than we had in 2019 flying part time because our potential customer base is the about one million people who live in Nova Scotia,” said Seth.
“Many of them probably did better during the pandemic because their income stayed the same but their opportunities to spend went down. They weren't going out to eat or going to Ontario,” he said.
“They were staying home and they were looking for something to do.”
East Coast Balloon Adventures responded by buying another balloon for about $55,000 and hiring another pilot on contract. Jean-pascal Lemaire, the former owner of Annapolis Valley Ballooning, sold his own balloon in 2019. With him suddenly available to pilot, the Baileys picked up the second balloon without having to resort to federal government aid offered to businesses during the pandemic.
With the second rig, the business has grown capacity by 60 per cent for rides this year. It also allows Seth to offer more piloting lessons.
The season starts May 16, and it's not a business for the faint of heart.
Although the balloons are amazingly stable, some customers have been known to do unusual things, including jump out of the basket. It makes for memorable days at work.
“We've had skydivers jump out of our balloons,” said Seth.
“We've also done a wedding and had several proposals and scattering of ashes of loved ones. We do a champagne toast after the flight. That's included in every flight.”