The announced addition last week of Atlantic Coast Airlines regional jet service from Bangor to Boston is not just a nice change from the old turboprops that shuttle between the cities now to a quieter, smoother ride. The new flights will result in approximately 30 minutes less travel time, which, in effect, moves Bangor 30 minutes closer to the rest of the country.

By itself, the change – really a reversion to pre-1996, when the full-sized jets were used for the commute – is unlikely to alter many people’s lives. But placed in the context of more efficient transportation highways east, west and north along with im-proved rail links to the coast, it could build on the idea that this region need not be as isolated as it currently is. Slowly, sometimes agonizingly slowly, the region is acting to connect to population centers around it.

Attracting the improved air service wasn’t easy. It took the work of airport, city and state officials and the congressional delegation to persuade Delta that its subsidiary should offer the 32-passenger jet service from Bangor. The Delta Connection carrier will make five round trips a day starting in August. The upgraded connection means that Bangor International Airport will be a more attractive place to fly into and – who knows? – may someday be a low-cost hub for Canadian traffic coming into the United States.

It is fair to argue that a prime reason for the jet service disappearing six years ago was the deregulation of the airlines, which made flights cheaper in major cities and scarcer in rural regions. But it is unrealistic to hope that members of Congress from areas that have lost out will shove the airlines back into the old system. If rural airports are to survive, the regions that support them must become much more aggressive.

The Bangor region, with a well-funded plan for improving connections at BIA, is doing that, and the many people who worked on returning the jet service to the area should be gratified that Delta looked at the progress that has been made and decided to upgrade its planes.