With JetBlue poised to take over in September, travelers at the Presque Isle International Airport will see a new destination and some changes at the terminal.
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on June 4 it had chosen New York-based JetBlue as the airport’s Essential Air Services carrier for the next two years, replacing United Airlines, which has served for six years with flights to Newark, New Jersey.
JetBlue will fly to Boston’s Logan International Airport, which some residents and city leaders favored. But there will be fewer daily flights and, since the company will use planes twice the size of United’s 50-seaters, a more crowded airport with more security. With Presque Isle’s new $30 million terminal still years away, the facility will have to build on.
“Just like we did for United in 2018, a small addition will be completed,” said Kim Smith, Presque Isle’s resource development and public information officer. “Industry standard calls for 80 percent of aircraft seating. The Transportation Security Administration area currently seats 44, and an additional 38 seats will be added.”
With 82 seats, that will put the airport at just over the 80 percent requirement, she said.
The plans for the addition haven’t been finished, so officials don’t yet know the total project cost or when it will be completed. Funds for the rebuild will come from airport operational surplus, Smith said.
The company did not propose using any smaller planes, she said.
Starting Sept. 5, JetBlue will provide one round-trip flight from PQI to Logan seven days a week, using a 100-seat Embraer E-190 in its first year. It plans to upgrade the following year to a 140-seat Airbus A220-300 jet. United operates 12 flights per week to Newark International Airport with a 50-seat CRJ-550 plane.
“We are excited for the opportunity to bring Boston flights back to The County,” said Dave Jehn, JetBlue vice president of network planning and airline partnerships, in a June 14 press release. “We thank the U.S. Department of Transportation for selecting JetBlue for this new Essential Air Service route. We take our responsibility of offering northern Maine reliable, high-quality service seriously.”
The company did not respond to multiple requests for additional comment.
One flight per day will leave PQI at 5:45 a.m. and arrive at Logan about 7:10 a.m. Flights will leave Boston at 8:45 p.m., arriving in Presque Isle around 10:10 p.m., according to JetBlue.
United Airlines will stay on until the new company takes over, according to the Department of Transportation’s June 4 selection order.
Presque Isle is one of four areas in Maine that falls under the DOT’s Essential Air Service, which ensures at least minimal air service to smaller regions through federal subsidies. Augusta, Bar Harbor and Rockland are also in the program.
The department chooses air service companies for each EAS airport. Local opinion is one factor, but federal officials also look at airline reliability, connections to a network of destinations, interline agreements with other airlines and marketing.
JetBlue’s seven-weekly-flight option required a special waiver. Basic Essential Air Service rules say the program must provide at least two daily round trips six days a week for an airport outside of Alaska. The city requested and was granted a waiver for less than two round trips each day.
The department chose JetBlue because it would keep Presque Isle in the national air transportation system, has a history of nearly 25 years of reliable service and had strong support from the city, according to the order. Cost was also part of the decision.
Under the current contract, United receives subsidies each year of 10,874,142 from the Department of Transportation of $10,874,142. Its proposal for 2024-2026 would have resulted in a yearly subsidy of $13,121,304. JetBlue’s subsidy will be less, at $10,412,703 in the first year and $11,235,581 in year two.
“The Department notes that, with this selection, the required subsidy for the length of the contract term by JetBlue is $4,594,324 less than the required subsidy by United (JetBlue’s subsidy of $21,648,284 vs. United’s subsidy of $26,242,608), thus providing savings for the federal government,” the order stated.
The department received many letters from leaders and residents supporting both United and JetBlue, but believes JetBlue can efficiently meet Presque Isle’s needs with reasonable subsidies, according to the document.
With more passengers at a time in the airport, security will also change, said Daniel Velez, New England region spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.
“We plan to add enough staff to handle the increase, [but] we do not have specific numbers of how many,” Velez said. “If in the near future there is more than one departure a day, TSA would also increase staff.”
The administration groups airports into five categories from X, the largest, to IV, the smallest. Presque is Category IV, but will move to category III with JetBlue because their planes are more than 50 seats, Velez said.
The screening area will require some security modifications, but TSA can’t elaborate on specific security upgrades, he said.
The airport’s current runways, entrances and other infrastructure will not need to change with the new carrier, Airport Director Scott Wardwell said.
Though some disagreed about which carrier is best for the area, the real goal is growing Aroostook County economically and maintaining any air service is crucial, he said.
“Really, both options were fabulous options,” Wardwell said. “Our position is that we’re going to make everybody successful and provide a facility that is dependable and safe.”
