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FAA gives lift to regional airports
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By Edward D. Murphy Portland Press Herald Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Portland transportation officials have some serious talking points to draw on when they next try to lure an airline to the city.
And they also have data to back up requests to federal authorities for money to help expand the Portland International Jetport terminal.
Both come from the Federal Aviation Administration's recent assessment of air service in New England.
The assessment grew out of the realization in the early 1990s that Boston's Logan International Airport was rapidly running out of capacity. Without room to expand, the idea of using the Hub's airport as, well, a hub for the region's air travelers no longer made sense.
So regional officials decided they had to consider different approaches in helping New England's 45 million annual passengers take flight.
As a result of that study -- and changes in the industry -- the feeling now is that New Englanders can get by without a hub-and-spoke system for the region, according to the FAA's new blueprint for air travel through 2020. Instead, more passengers should head to the nearest airport and find a cheap practical flight.
Granted, this model has not turned into immediate reality. A couple of airports were already there -- Manchester, N.H., managed to land low-cost carrier Southwest, which turned it into a popular alternative to Logan. Likewise, T.F. Green near Providence, R.I., prospered with Southwest and managed to stem the tide of passengers trekking to Boston.
But other airports in the region, including the jetport, initially suffered. With the loss of flights to Logan, passengers flying out of Portland faced expensive flights that were not always the most convenient. So southern Mainers kept heading south to Logan: In 2004, more passengers (41 percent of the total) in Portland's service area flew out of Boston than flew out of the jetport (40 percent).
Airlines, however, noted those numbers and figured that hundreds of thousands of passengers could be found outside of Boston. In Portland, that led to the arrival of JetBlue, which offers low-cost flights and access to overseas destinations via daily flights to JFK airport in New York.
To Jeff Monroe, Portland's director of transportation, the de-emphasis on Logan and the new numbers provide a lot of promise.
He said it's not unreasonable to think that those airport numbers from 2004 -- before the arrival of JetBlue in Portland -- will soon begin to change. If Portland can recapture even half of those people within the jetport's service area who are now going to Boston, that's about 600,000 passengers a year. And airlines would love to have some of those people filling daily flights from Maine.
"Now we don't have to worry so much about the competition, we just need to make sure that our own passenger base is strong," Monroe said.
Monroe said the study also gives some backing to plans to expand the jetport terminal -- along with a boost in seeking some federal help to pay for it.
The city can quote the FAA its own numbers and say, "We think we're in a growth market here and you need to invest in Portland," Monroe said.
Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at 791-6465 or at:
emurphy@pressherald.com
Reader comments
Chris of Harpswell, ME
Nov 14, 2006 3:56 PM
Just to keep this glowing news report in perspective the report says Logan is expected to grow to 42 million passengers in 2020 from 26 million in 2005. That compares to Portland JetPort expected to grow to 2.3 million passengers in 2020 from 1.5 million passengers in 2005. Therefore by 2020 the Portland JetPort is projected to have about 5.5% of the passengers compared to Logan, which will offer direct connections all over the world. Also Logan has two 10,000 foot runways, Manchester has a 9,200 foot runway, while the JetPort's longest runway is only 7,200 feet.
One interesting aspect of the report is Portsmouth International Airport has no passenger service now and only 13,000 passengers in 2005. Portsmouth is primarily used for aircraft maintenance, air cargo and air charter. The problem is Portsmouth is too close to existing airports, the same problem BNAS will likely face since it's only a 25 minute drive to the JetPort, which has no significant capacity issues.
Tony of LA, ME
Nov 14, 2006 2:00 PM
To Katie: If only Southwest would fly out of Portland!
I'd imagine they suspect that as long as they can fill planes out of Manchester there's no reason for them to come further north.
I'm hoping Jetblue will expand their offerings, and maybe offer a few flights through a hub out west rather than south.
And yes, the fares out of PWM have come down a bit, but when you're talking points way west they're still hundreds more than flying from MHT. I usually look for a fare on kayak.com, then compare it with what Southwest and Jetblue offer.
Tim of Portland, ME
Nov 14, 2006 12:53 PM
Have people checked the fares out of Portland recently? they are often times cheaper then Boston and Manchester. I think think that the Jetport has done a great job and having JetBlue in Portland has helped bring all airfares down. I fly out of Portland frequently and have found that most flights from Portland are usually less then $100 more then other airports. Figure in the cost of travel to other airports and Portland is a bargain. I have even found some flights that were cheaper then Boston! I think more people should give Portland a chance again. Don't assume that the costs are going to be that much higher. They probably are not and if more of us continue to travel out of Portland the fares will probably continue to decline.
Katie of Yardley, PA
Nov 14, 2006 11:16 AM
Yes, Yes! Get Southwest to fly out of Portland! Manchester airport is almost 100 miles from Portland. If you want to visit north of Portland -- Brunswick, Bath, Boothbay, Rockland, etc. -- your talking 2+ to 3+ hours to Manchester for a flight that won't break the bank. Staying the night before your flight at a Manchester airport hotel is still cheaper than flying from Portland, but that wastes a valuable day. And Augusta isn't really an option -- few flights, few non-stops/no plane changes, and expensive!
E-mail this page Reader Comments (below)
By Edward D. Murphy Portland Press Herald Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Portland transportation officials have some serious talking points to draw on when they next try to lure an airline to the city.
And they also have data to back up requests to federal authorities for money to help expand the Portland International Jetport terminal.
Both come from the Federal Aviation Administration's recent assessment of air service in New England.
The assessment grew out of the realization in the early 1990s that Boston's Logan International Airport was rapidly running out of capacity. Without room to expand, the idea of using the Hub's airport as, well, a hub for the region's air travelers no longer made sense.
So regional officials decided they had to consider different approaches in helping New England's 45 million annual passengers take flight.
As a result of that study -- and changes in the industry -- the feeling now is that New Englanders can get by without a hub-and-spoke system for the region, according to the FAA's new blueprint for air travel through 2020. Instead, more passengers should head to the nearest airport and find a cheap practical flight.
Granted, this model has not turned into immediate reality. A couple of airports were already there -- Manchester, N.H., managed to land low-cost carrier Southwest, which turned it into a popular alternative to Logan. Likewise, T.F. Green near Providence, R.I., prospered with Southwest and managed to stem the tide of passengers trekking to Boston.
But other airports in the region, including the jetport, initially suffered. With the loss of flights to Logan, passengers flying out of Portland faced expensive flights that were not always the most convenient. So southern Mainers kept heading south to Logan: In 2004, more passengers (41 percent of the total) in Portland's service area flew out of Boston than flew out of the jetport (40 percent).
Airlines, however, noted those numbers and figured that hundreds of thousands of passengers could be found outside of Boston. In Portland, that led to the arrival of JetBlue, which offers low-cost flights and access to overseas destinations via daily flights to JFK airport in New York.
To Jeff Monroe, Portland's director of transportation, the de-emphasis on Logan and the new numbers provide a lot of promise.
He said it's not unreasonable to think that those airport numbers from 2004 -- before the arrival of JetBlue in Portland -- will soon begin to change. If Portland can recapture even half of those people within the jetport's service area who are now going to Boston, that's about 600,000 passengers a year. And airlines would love to have some of those people filling daily flights from Maine.
"Now we don't have to worry so much about the competition, we just need to make sure that our own passenger base is strong," Monroe said.
Monroe said the study also gives some backing to plans to expand the jetport terminal -- along with a boost in seeking some federal help to pay for it.
The city can quote the FAA its own numbers and say, "We think we're in a growth market here and you need to invest in Portland," Monroe said.
Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at 791-6465 or at:
emurphy@pressherald.com
Reader comments
Chris of Harpswell, ME
Nov 14, 2006 3:56 PM
Just to keep this glowing news report in perspective the report says Logan is expected to grow to 42 million passengers in 2020 from 26 million in 2005. That compares to Portland JetPort expected to grow to 2.3 million passengers in 2020 from 1.5 million passengers in 2005. Therefore by 2020 the Portland JetPort is projected to have about 5.5% of the passengers compared to Logan, which will offer direct connections all over the world. Also Logan has two 10,000 foot runways, Manchester has a 9,200 foot runway, while the JetPort's longest runway is only 7,200 feet.
One interesting aspect of the report is Portsmouth International Airport has no passenger service now and only 13,000 passengers in 2005. Portsmouth is primarily used for aircraft maintenance, air cargo and air charter. The problem is Portsmouth is too close to existing airports, the same problem BNAS will likely face since it's only a 25 minute drive to the JetPort, which has no significant capacity issues.
Tony of LA, ME
Nov 14, 2006 2:00 PM
To Katie: If only Southwest would fly out of Portland!
I'd imagine they suspect that as long as they can fill planes out of Manchester there's no reason for them to come further north.
I'm hoping Jetblue will expand their offerings, and maybe offer a few flights through a hub out west rather than south.
And yes, the fares out of PWM have come down a bit, but when you're talking points way west they're still hundreds more than flying from MHT. I usually look for a fare on kayak.com, then compare it with what Southwest and Jetblue offer.
Tim of Portland, ME
Nov 14, 2006 12:53 PM
Have people checked the fares out of Portland recently? they are often times cheaper then Boston and Manchester. I think think that the Jetport has done a great job and having JetBlue in Portland has helped bring all airfares down. I fly out of Portland frequently and have found that most flights from Portland are usually less then $100 more then other airports. Figure in the cost of travel to other airports and Portland is a bargain. I have even found some flights that were cheaper then Boston! I think more people should give Portland a chance again. Don't assume that the costs are going to be that much higher. They probably are not and if more of us continue to travel out of Portland the fares will probably continue to decline.
Katie of Yardley, PA
Nov 14, 2006 11:16 AM
Yes, Yes! Get Southwest to fly out of Portland! Manchester airport is almost 100 miles from Portland. If you want to visit north of Portland -- Brunswick, Bath, Boothbay, Rockland, etc. -- your talking 2+ to 3+ hours to Manchester for a flight that won't break the bank. Staying the night before your flight at a Manchester airport hotel is still cheaper than flying from Portland, but that wastes a valuable day. And Augusta isn't really an option -- few flights, few non-stops/no plane changes, and expensive!