I am anticipating with some reservation what these folks may be bringing to the table to make flying out of Bangor worth the extra money when compared to Portland, Manchester or even Boston....for the last 10 years or so no question for me and many others I know who regularly travel...drive south first...I certainly am hopeful though!! Grab your bags, It's On!!

PR - public relations - is simply a salesmanship job. Pure and simple. The thrusts of this issue are that Bangor imposes such high taxes, tell me, just where, in the scope of things that flying out of BIA does not bring any imposition of taxes for airlines utilizing the terminals and acquiring fuel for their aircraft's and for parking fees.

This matter was the concern for all back last winter. No mention of the fuel supplier was mentioned in this article, and rightly-so. It has nothing to do with fuel costs or suppliers. However, costs are transferred to the consumer; those flying out of BIA nevertheless.

Seems with all the reports I have seen, I agree with "PabMainer" on this one! I, in the past, have always had me or/and my wife fly out of Boston all the time, leaving once only, a trip out of Portland to Houston. I eliminated BIA.

There is one positive deal here: At least whoever were the decision-makers in this venture did not outsource the project and head out-of-state to further the unemployment situation in Maine!

Why did it take about two WEEKS for this story to appear?

It will be with relief that I no longer will have to watch on the TV the ads about WHY YOU SHOULD FLY BANGOR - I also NEVER fly out of Bangor - I always drive to Portland - I stay at the Doubletree - Cost to me -- about $100 - I get a nice room - The Doubletree offers free parking even for weeks - they also provide a FREE RIDE to the airport -- AND A FREE RIDE back to the Hotel when you return - Possibly Bangor should think about closing the Airport altogether - How come there aren't any flights out of Bangor to any Canadian Provinces - It is interesting to read that -Paradise did little during the length of its contract and what it did produce was sub-par.-- So where is Rebecca Hupp & Ed Barrett on this one - Just another example of POOR LEADERSHIP by Bangor's management officials -

It is difficult for an out-of-state entity to grasp the nuances and complexities of doing business in Maine - let alone Bangor. Swardlick and Sutherland/Weston can bring a Maine attitude to the table. They need to be aware that they are not promoting the Bangor Airport - they are promoting a reason to use the Bangor Airport. Neither company can control ancillary costs associated with flying out of Bangor.

Thinkaboutit - I hope you were joking about closing the airport. If not, your comments cannot be taken seriously. Contrary to popular belief, the airport is one of the only City departments that actually makes money.

Bangor has had Canadian service in the past (Air Nova and Pan Am) with no luck. Granted, the service was spotty and expensive, but what isn't these days. Because of competition among the Portland carriers, there can be a savings by driving south. But of late, Bangor is pricing the same as Portland - some times lower. It is the availability that is the problem, not the fares.

Currently, Bangor offers around 14 daily departures. Come fall that will drop to less than 10 flights. This will make "marketing" the airport more difficult. The new Marketing/Public Relations team have a tough job ahead. They need to form a public advisory board and they need to poll those people departing from Bangor. Asking the traveling public what they want (aside from lower fares) makes this a community project. The City of Bangor has survived for over 175 years - not because we whine - but because we act.

Good luck to Sutherland/Weston and Swardlick. With the help of the public, you will do what know other firms have done thus far - you will succeed.

Congratulations to Elizabeth Sutherland on landing the NEW PUBLIC RELATIONS job at BIA. Never in the history of BIA has there been a PR Firm. But with the poor reputation that Becky Hupp and and her baracudda buddy Rustine has I suppose they need a little help. It's common knowledge that Elizabeth Sutherland and Becky Hupp are best friends. How convenient that Elizabeth gets this new post. Whatever happened to morals and ethics? Becky Hupps little partner in crime Mr. Barret pulled another one over on us all. They think that no one even noticed. And what ever happened to our airpot that we now need a PR firm to smooth things over? Oh that's right, Miss Congeniality (Rustine-task-Masters) is at the helm. Come on Bangor - we need to replace all City Council members because of this latest scam. Not one councilor even questioned the bad ethics of hiring Becky Hupps best friend forever. The City Council is not up to the task to do the right thing. They sit back and watch Becky Hupp and her cronies, Tony and Rustine, destroy our airport. The City Council needs to send Becky Hupp, Rustine Masters and Tony Caruso packing. They're not even from Maine and they don't give a damn. BIA WAS a place to be proud of. Not anymore boys and girls - not anymore.

tony balonie

numnutz - You seem to give Mr. Barrett a lot more credit than he is due. Although he is City Manager, he still is at the beck-and-call of the City Council. If you sit in on the sub-committee or council meeting you will see that there is a check-and-balance to the process. The bid process is overseen by Debbie Cyr - someone I would not trifle with.

As to your comment regarding friendships - well, this is Bangor, Maine. You are either friends or acquaintances, relatives or enemies to just about everyone. If you hire your friend and the friend fails, you both fail. If you hire your enemy and the enemy fails, you have a scapegoat. If you try and circumvent the rules of the game - Deb Cyr will cut you off at the knees.

From what I have seen, Sutherland and Weston does fine work. The fact that the city is only paying for services rendered is a step in the right direction.

I don't know you, numnutz. The fact that you hide behind an alias - a nomenclature that may be accurate - tells me you fear for your job, or you are afraid of those you slander.

Since the ink is still wet on the contracts, I'll reserve judgment. It will not take long to see if something is afoot.

pjramsay - Not afraid for my job, I don't work. Howver, it isn't hard to see what is going on at BIA. You seem to give Becky Hupp and Company a pass. Maybe you're looking to line your pocket or to finally get in good with Becky Hupp. This would be a new beginning since Becky Hupp has crapped all over you for years. Maybe you should take an ethics course, ya know, just to brush up. As far as Elizabeth Sutherland doing fine work - it doesn't matter. This reeks of "Conflict of Interest". If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then....

Pjramsey, I generally tend to agree with you but wish to politely differwith your conclusion that "no firm has succeeded" with BIA in the past. According to the good folks at City Hall, the airport employed a Portland based marketing firm for approximately 7 years during which the airport saw its passenger service increase significantly (from around 365,000 to a little under 500,000) and become almost 100% jet.

The airport subsequently chose not to continue the contract upon its expiration and went with a new marketing firm that was based in Florida. As the BDN article notes that did not work out well. Prior to the marketing firm the airport employed a contractor (who eventually became airport director) who oversaw the first largest expansion of the airport's air service (the 2nd being during the 7 years the former marketing firm held the contract). The facts and numbers, all on record at City Hall in reports to the City Council from the late 90s to around 2005 show a very successful advancement during that period and a very sharp contrast to the last 4 years or so at BIA.

Finally, while availabiltiy is certainly an issue, reliability is it's close cousin--and reliability at BIA is quite poor. We regularly use Portland due to the fact that if an issue arises concerning a given flight we are always quickly and promptly rebooked on another flight leaving Portland, usually within minutes of the flight we originally booked. At BIA you simply have no other options due to the lack of flights.

numnutz - If you know me, you will realize that I don't give anyone a pass. My personal ethics preclude me from slandering people - even people I don't often agree with. When I stand on my soapbox and speak ill of our airport and its management, I tend to stick with the truth and the facts. I have often chastised airport management - I just try to do it with tact.

Once a "conflict of interest" charge is established we can discuss your duck.

MarinaCosgrove - my success comment is focused on the last fifteen years. You and I will agree that the Bangor Airport was the shining star at one time. That time has long passed and the star is definitely tarnished. The advances in aircraft construction has removed most of the "International" aspect of this airport. You and I both know that the availability of seats are at the whim of the airlines. Bangor cannot compete against the likes of JetBlue or AirTran. I often wonder why any carrier stays in Bangor.

Maintenance, weather, crew rest, aircraft availability all contribute to our downfall. Airport management, poor marketing and the general malaise of the traveling public is also a contributing factor to our constant slide into the realm of regional airport status. All the P.R. and marketing will not change this cycle.

Selling the airport to a private entity may be an answer. Changing management might help. Who knows? There is no silver bullet, there is no genie in the bottle.......only time will tell.

Airline services are a numbers game. If there are sufficient passengers with sufficient incomes to pay for frequent ticket purchases the airlines will show up. Consequently, larger population centers (Bangor isn't one of them) and hot tourist destinations (Bangor is a seasonal destination at best) have ample services and low fares. Airport management, PR firms and ad agencies can help when such basics are in place, otherwise they can only affect business at the margins. Bangor's airport should be seen for what it really is: a major economic resource that accommodates military, commercial and general aviation flight activities and houses some of the largest local employers. Take all of that away and there wouldn't be much left of the local economy.

Peter and Pizanos speak wisdom on the interrelated factors and the significant challeges ahead for BIA. Certainly, on a purely factual basis, the airport has declined preciptously for the last four or so years. Historically, it appears the most significant activity was 15 plus years ago. The next significant activity (as noted from the City Hall material) was during the late 90s through 2004 when the airport built up a significant air service portfolio. JetBlue and Air Tran, along with matching fares on other carriers at the Portland Jetport now simply render BIA uncompetetive on many levels. I can leave my house on the Carmel/Hermon line and be in the covered parking garage at the Jetport in less than two hours. Portland is now where Maine's air service is located. If anythng, those amateurish tv and newspaper ads simply confirmed the wisdom to flee the BIA market for affordable and efficient jet servcie to domestic and international destinations. Our company is also using the fabulous flights to Nova Scotia with increasing regularity. At the end of the day, however, the buck stops at the leadership desk and BIA has certainly suffered at the hands of its current director.

I sure hope the PR folks are up to the task. BIA is in the worst shape of its history. Hope they can turn things around.