Anyone traveling in and out of northern Maine to points south knows one, irrefutable fact: It’s a long drive.

Typically, it’s seven hours from the St. John Valley to Portland, the first two of which run along two-lane rural routes or the highway where moose and deer are frequent sights.

But thanks to a small group of County businessmen with a passion for aviation, there soon could be an alternative.

On or around Aug. 26, if all goes according to plan, the inaugural flight of New England Air Transport will take off from the Northern Aroostook Regional Airport in Frenchville for a two-hour flight to Portland International Jetport with a stop in Presque Isle.

“This is strictly on-demand, scheduled charter service,” David Fernald Sr., NEAT president said. “Due to changes in our client base we decided to launch this with the goal of establishing regular flights to southern Maine.”

Fernald, together with his son and NEAT pilot David Fernald Jr., and Fort Kent businessman James Thibodeau, are planning two flights a day on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The first flight would leave Frenchville at 5:45 a.m. and Portland at 8 a.m. Afternoon flights would depart Frenchville at 3:30 p.m. with the second Portland flight taking off at 6 p.m.

Fernald said there are no current plans for flights to Bangor.

Round-trip ticket prices will range from $360 for a 14-day advance purchase, to $420 for six days or less in advance, including same day. The one-way fares are approximately half the round-trip cost.

Passengers will make the trip in a newly overhauled, seven-passenger Piper Chieftain plane jointly owned by NEAT and Thib Air. Thib Air is owned by Thibodeau.

Thibodeau remembers talking to pilots and base operators at the regional airport about the need for reliable air transport for the St. John Valley.

“In the early 1990s the owner of the charter airline service sold his business, and shortly thereafter it went out of business,” Thibodeau said. “We had no more air service.”

Not long afterward, Thibodeau purchased his own plane and, with the Fernalds, began offering charter flights.

“That’s how Thib Air was born,” he said. “So now I have a vested interest in seeing a scheduled charter business get off the ground.”

A big part of getting the business going is the millions of federal and local dollars being spent at the regional airport.

“The runway is going through a full rehabilitation,” Fernald said. “That was part of a larger, $2.1 million project.”

That work, he said, came on the heels of a previous $3.2 million in federally funded improvements to the airport facility, which included runway repairs and system technology upgrades.

“All of these projects will greatly enhance our ability to operate,” Fernald said.

In addition to the federal money, regional airport member municipalities and area businesses have invested in the scheduled charter business.

According to Fernald, Madawaska and Fort Kent each put up $10,000, while the communities of Frenchville and St. Agatha each contributed $3,000.

Local business investment has reached $51,000, Fernald said, with Thibodeau adding another $25,000 and FairPoint Communications investing $5,000 in cash with a promise to commit to $5,000 worth of purchased tickets.

“The bottom line is this is going to happen,” Fernald said. “We reached out to the communities and each community stepped up.”

The local contributions will enable NEAT to show cash match commitment as it applies for a $350,000, two-year grant from the Small Community Air Service Development Program offered through the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The program is aimed at addressing airfare problems or enhancing air service in small communities.

If successful, grant funds could be used to subsidize medical travel and create airfare incentives to promote northern Maine business interests.

“It is now incumbent upon us to shake that tree for the markets,” Fernald said.

He said he designed the proposed itinerary with the business community in mind.

“It really depends on the mix of people we see reserve the seats,” he said. “We can adjust the schedule to meet the needs of any group and we are marketing the seats in both directions.”

Given the rising costs of fuel and the price of an overnight stay in Portland, Fernald and Thibodeau see NEAT and Air Thib as a viable option for the northern Maine business traveler.

“When you figure it out, the cost of a ticket is the same cost as what you are reimbursed per mile for driving,” Fernald said. “Still, some people do think we are crazy.”

Like all other fuels, the cost of aviation fuel is on the rise.

“Some people might say this is not the time to start an airline,” Thibodeau said.

Fernald maintains if the plane flies with all seven seats filled it is a more cost-effective mode of transportation than seven people driving seven cars to Portland.

“In my opinion this attempt at air service will enhance the viability of the airport,” Thibodeau said. “It will give the people of this area access to southern Maine and the Portland marketplace while giving people in that area access to business potentials at this end of the state.”

In the end, he said, it will enhance the economics of northern Maine.

“My ultimate goal is to see it become successful and then get out from the financial perspective,” Thibodeau said. “I’m not in it to make a lot of money. Ask anyone who deals with planes and they will tell you a plane is a big money pit.”

To determine the best course of action, the Fernalds and Thibodeau surveyed more than 3,000 businesses and individuals from northern Maine and the Portland area.

The 10-question survey covered topics involving interest in flights in and out of northern Maine, scheduling and costs.

“We got a pretty good response,” Thibodeau said. “The responses were encouraging enough for us to push forward.”

Fernald eventually hopes to see flights expand into Manchester, N.H., with that airport’s access to larger air hubs.

More importantly, however, he never wants to forget how things got started.

“This airline is community orientated,” Fernald said. “If we take care of that community, the community will take care of us.”

For more information on NEAT and Thib Air, go to www.flyneat.com

jbayly@bangordailynews.net

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