PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — An Alaska-based airline chosen in March to continue to operate under the Essential Air Service program at Northern Maine Regional Airport in Presque Isle will begin service between the city and Boston’s Logan International Airport on June 15.
Officials with Anchorage-based Peninsula Airways, doing business as PenAir, announced Monday that nonstop flights begin that day with three flights per day Monday through Friday and two flights each Saturday and Sunday. The Presque Isle to Boston inaugural flight will be departing Boston at 5:35 p.m. and arriving in Presque Isle at 7:30 p.m. June 14. Full service begins June 15.
The U.S Department of Transportation chose PenAir to provide critical flight services to the airport under the Essential Air Service program.
PenAir will use a 34-passenger Saab 340 aircraft to operate 19 weekly round trips, year-round, between Presque Isle and Boston. PenAir is one of Alaska’s largest regional airlines.
Officials from PenAir said Monday that an introductory fare of $115.30, including tax, each way will be available starting May 21. Limited seating is available and the offer lasts from June 15 to June 28.
PenAir was chosen after Colgan Air petitioned the Department of Transportation in Sept. 2011 to end its service between Boston and Presque Isle and between Bar Harbor and Boston this year. Colgan Air expressed a desire to close its Boston office because the market that it serves has become smaller.
The Department of Transportation’s Essential Air Service program, established in 1978 during the period of airline deregulation, provides federal assistance to air carriers serving smaller communities that otherwise might lose service because of economic factors.
Officials from PenAir will be at Northern Maine Regional Airport at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, at an event sponsored by the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce. Dave Hall, PenAir’s chief operating officer, will be on hand, as will several PenAir employees and crew.
“We are excited to start our venture into this market and to bring our brand of customer service to the northeast,” Hall said.
PenAir also was chosen by the U.S. DOT to continue the EAS program at the Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport in Trenton. The airline will begin service from Boston Logan International Airport to Bar Harbor on May 24.
PenAir is one of the largest operators of Saab 340 aircraft in the United States. The airline started out in 1955 with just a two seat Taylorcraft aircraft and now operates 11 Saab, 30-passenger aircraft and employs more than 500 people. The airline is a codeshare partner with Alaska Airlines and has electronic ticketing agreements with American, Delta, Alaska, USAir, United and several other carriers.
All schedules and fares are available at www.penair.com or by contacting PenAir Central Reservations at 800-448-4226.
this is good news for nothern maine. any chance of bangor – boston service on pen air
Probably no essential air service subsidies in play for BGR to BOS.
So the price doubles? Cape Air was only $59 and now this is $150. More than US Air was!!
If you don’t like the price, don’t use the service. I would think you would be happy to have the connection at whatever price.
Costs a lot to fly 70% empty seat aircraft into the tundra!
I think that your going to find that Pen Air will get top dollar since they are covering for Cape Air during the peak summer season. Colgan was as much as $400 during the summer. I just did a search on Cape Air for late Sept and it was back to $59. All in all, an improvement over what we had before. I do wonder why we subsidize Bar Harbor, Rockland, and Augusta and not just focus on Bangor.
Becasue it is where people want to go, especially Rockland and Bar Harbor. It’s where business is located. It’s where the money is. It’s where the highest paying fare passengers are located. Bangor doesn’t have service to Boston–it lost its opportunity to retain that years ago. You can’t beat Cape Air and Pen Air for efficient, convenient and cost-competitive service to Boston and beyond. Bangor would simply be pricey, inconvenient and laregely redundant.
I hear you to a degree. I do use the Bar Harbor airport, but unless I am mistaken Bangor is not funded by EAS. It seems better to me in the long run to ask people to drive an hour or so to use one airport rather than fund three smaller airports and dilute the full potential of Bangor.
Your lucky you have service at all, in the middle of no where. No profit here, your lucky the government pays most of the expenses. Don’t worry, the Republicans are working to cut this subsidy out too. Then wait and see what the real price of a ticket is.
All right, Kelley……Lester was here today painting….said his daughter got a job. If you need another air waver to point out the exits, let me know :)…….KCM- PI
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Interesting. I didn’t know that, about the prices I mean. Bar Harbor is probably for those who can afford 400.00 in lean times. Subject: [bdn] Re: Alaskan airline to begin service in Presque Isle, Bar Harbor
The Saab is capacity overkill for the most part, but it is an economical aircraft due to the turbo props. RJ’s are considerably more expensive, so that will probably not happen until the population and potential air traffic increases significantly sometime around…well…sometime around…well…probably never…
I’d say be damned happy with the relatively comfy and speedy Saab. The eight seaters can get a little bumpy. Buhbye.
The Saab is a reliable aircraft, and pilots trained to cope with Alaska weather will give passengers here an extra margin of safety.
Welcome to Presque Isle. Hope you stay at the Northern Maine Airport for a very long time and service the area well.