FLYING FROM BANGOR

The bad news came through loud and clear in focus-group surveys in Bangor, Belfast and Ellsworth: High cost is what keeps many travelers from flying in and out of Bangor’s airport.

Participants in the survey appreciate the friendly service, short waiting lines, cheap parking and general convenience of Bangor International Airport. But many of them find the cost prohibitive. So they drive or take the bus to Portland or Boston or Manchester, N.H., to get cheaper fares to further destinations.

For example: American Eagle’s jet service to New York takes only 90 minutes but it typically costs $700 or more for a round trip. The bus to Portland and a JetBlue flight to New York cost about half as much. And parking at the bus station is free. But American is quitting Bangor in November.

More bad news includes Delta’s decision in April to remove its 50-seat jets from Bangor and substitute 19-seat turboprop planes, which are a turnoff for some travelers.

BIA’s marketing director, Risteen Masters, plans to adjust the advertising to reflect dominant interest in domestic rather than overseas points and is seeking an advertising agency for a new campaign to persuade travelers in the area to fly by way of Bangor. A letter last January to the Bangor Daily News from Jon Davis of Brewer, a former Delta employee, noted the hard fact that air service depends on profitability and urged citizens to use BIA to demonstrate that a market is here.

Bob Ziegelaar, the former BIA director and president of the Telford Group of Bangor, told the Action Committee of 50 at Husson College last year: “The future of Bangor’s airport depends on what happens to this economy. If there’s no local growth, the airport won’t grow.”

BIA’s management is not relying entirely on public relations to reverse the airport’s current downward trend. It is actively pursuing JetBlue and Southwest with a long-shot hope of bringing low-cost service to Bangor. A start has come with the service that Allegiant Air will begin between Bangor and Orlando in November, at an introductory rate of $89 each way.

If Allegiant keeps its rates low, it should attract travelers to and from New Brunswick, where there are no such cheap flights. Other positive prospects include an increase in traffic by private planes at BIA and increases in cargo carrying in and out of Bangor. With fuel prices high, saving an hour on a flight to Europe is an obvious advantage.

While economic growth in the Bangor area will help attract improved air service, better air service also will stimulate economic growth. It’s a two way street, and we need them both.