GROUNDED EXPECTATIONS

A first-time visitor landing at Bangor International Airport might believe he had arrived at a fair sized city, perhaps comparable to Charleston, S.C., Wichita, Kan., or Tuscon, Ariz. After all, BIA’s 2-mile-long runways are impressive, the passenger terminal is attractive and modern, and there is a chain hotel on site.

But appearances are deceiving. Charleston’s population is just over 100,000, Wichita’s is about 350,000 and Tuscon’s is approaching 550,000. Bangor, meanwhile, has about 31,500 residents. And unlike other small cities surrounded by populous suburbs, Bangor’s neighbors are even more rural. Penobscot County’s population is estimated at 147,000; adjacent counties are even more sparsely populated.

The lack of population density has destined BIA to be a feeder airport for regional hubs like Cincinnati and Detroit, Michael Boyd, an aviation consultant working for BIA reported recently. Purely on the basis of economics tied to market size, BIA will not – at least into the foreseeable future – be able to compete on fares with the Portland Jetport, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport or Boston’s Logan Airport.

Would-be travelers from northern, eastern, central and coastal Maine will, reasonably, do the math as they plan trips. How much to fly from Bangor? How much to drive, or take the bus or train, to Portland, Manchester or Boston and then fly? Is the savings worth the loss of time? There is virtually nothing that BIA management can do, Mr. Boyd suggested, to offset the lack of population that drives the decisions airlines make as they position their multi-million dollar aircraft to be most profitable.

BIA is perhaps cursed in having been born from a former Air Force base. It’s size and infrastructure suggest a degree of commercial activity that it enjoyed for a relatively brief time, but is now gone. The air travel industry has changed. Planes can now travel farther without having to refuel, and so many which once landed at BIA now pass over.

Rather than be angry that the hometown airport can’t compete on outward bound fares with the other three airports, Mr. Boyd suggested area planners should focus instead on using BIA to bring people to Maine. A state tourism marketing strategy might include media buys in Cincinnati, Detroit, Nashville or other “one hop” cities, bringing new visitors to Maine. And because they will have to buy airline tickets ahead of time, those visitors will have to make reservations at Maine hotels and lodges, thereby ensuring they come, whether July is cool and rainy or not.

Maine – including Greater Bangor – suffers from a perennial negative self-image, which it should work to reverse. But at the same time, looking in the mirror and being honest about what one sees is also important. BIA is an asset for which the region should be grateful, but it is unrealistic to expect the airport to buck hard and cold economic facts.