PORTLAND – JetBlue Airlines is considering adding the Portland International Jetport to its stable of markets, but any definitive plans are several years away, a spokeswoman for the low-cost carrier said.

JetBlue announced plans Tuesday to expand regional travel services with a $3 billion order for 100 small jets.

Fiona Morrisson, a JetBlue spokeswoman, said entry into Maine’s air travel market remains just a possibility since the first set of Embraer jets are not due for delivery until 2005.

“We’ve expressed interest in a lot of places,” Morrisson said. “Yes, Portland has been on our radar, but we don’t have any plans to announce service to it in the immediate future.”

In the past, Portland officials have met with JetBlue representatives with the hope of luring the discount airline to the Jetport.

A discount operator in Portland would likely cause lower prices across the board, as happened when Southwest Airlines began flying from Manchester Airport in New Hampshire.

“JetBlue would introduce a new realm of across-the-board competition; you get that Southwest effect. It tends to lower fares across the entire market,” said Jeffrey Monroe, Portland’s transportation director.

JetBlue, which uses JFK International Airport in New York as its hub, charges an average of $60 for flights less than 300 miles, less than half of what major carriers charge.

The discount airline’s order of 100 planes marks the beginning of a strategy to challenge the country’s largest carriers in midsized markets.

Until now, JetBlue has mainly provided long-haul service to larger markets, using a single aircraft, the Airbus A320.

JetBlue plans to receive seven Embraer jetliners in 2005, with about 18 more planes to be delivered each year through 2011.