Landing New Flights

The arrivals of two air routes to Maine this week were hopeful signs in a state transportation network that needs all the hopeful signs it can get. The key for Maine to continue this kind of good news, however, is to ensure the routes are used.

Airline deregulation hurt small airports, such as the one in Bangor, and absolutely whacked even smaller airports, such as the one in Presque Isle. That they are both recovering is a tribute to the hard work of their staffs. Both were rewarded this week with the announcements of important new links. For Presque Isle, a $500,000 grant, received with help from Maine’s congressional delegation, will go toward buying a year’s worth of twice-daily flights to Portland. The grant is part of a new, $20 million Department of Transportation initiative to help smaller communities expand or improve air service.

It wasn’t many years ago that the Northern Maine Regional Airport in Presque Isle was a far busier place, with more flights to Augusta, Boston and elsewhere. It, like the Bangor International Airport, has lost flights and airlines over the last decade as deregulation led to greater competition sending greater resources at major hubs. This has a problem all over rural America, but was especially difficult in Maine because its residents had so few other options in roads or rails.

The Presque Isle-Portland link, an otherwise six-hour drive, is important for business but equally essential for keeping the state tied together for social, recreational and family reasons. If every former County resident now living in the Portland area used the flight just a couple of times a year, there would be a permanent wait for tickets.

Bangor gets a much-needed nonstop air link to St. John, New Brunswick – also twice-daily round-trip flights that add convenience and serve as recognition that an important economic partner lives just east of Maine. Bangor itself has in recent years properly become convinced that Maine has plenty of opportunity to both its east and west, so the flight to St. John is a natural. Though they hardly relieve the need for a dependable highway connection, the flights to St. John will further strengthen growing bonds between the cities. Keeping those flights affordable enough to be used regularly will allow similar opportunities to arise. Maybe one of those new DOT grants could help.