PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Dozens of local residents lashed out at United Airlines, and spoke their mind about who the U.S. Department of Transportation should award air service to at Presque Isle International Airport.
More than 60 residents of Presque Isle and surrounding communities attended the public forum held Friday night at Presque Isle Middle School. Many leveled United with criticism over flight delays, and the undesirability of flying to United’s hub at Newark. Several called for flights to Boston.
The public comment session, held by the city of Presque Isle, was in preparation of the Presque Isle City Council’s recommendation on who should receive a two-year contract to provide air service at Presque Isle International Airport. The spot is currently held by United.
The public comment session began with a presentation from Jack Penning, managing partner of Volaire Aviation Consulting, an airport consulting firm that works with Presque Isle International, laying out what each of the three bids from Southern Airways Express, Silver Airways and current partner United Airlines have to offer.
Penning acted as a de facto moderator throughout the night, answering questions and responding to comments from attendees.
Despite the nature of the event, Penning made it clear that while the community’s choice for air service is taken into account by the Department of Transportation, it was far from the only factor at play.
“The Department of Transportation can choose a bid that the community does not support,” Penning said. “Community input, in fact, is only a small factor in the five factors the Department of Transportation looks at.”
The other factors, Penning explained, were service reliability, network connectivity, ability for inter-airline agreements and how the carrier planned to market the service.
Criticism of United’s service was constant throughout the forum. Attendees’ main concerns were flight delays and the remoteness of Newark compared to Boston. The New Jersey city is about 600 miles away, in what is often a 10-plus-hour drive, while Boston is about 400 miles and a six-hour drive.
John Bradley of Limestone put it most succinctly, with comments that drew applause from much of the audience.
“I don’t want to fly to Newark. I want to fly to Boston,” Bradley said.
Bradley said that flights to Boston had several advantages, including the high level of medical care, access to sporting events, and on a personal note, the ability to see his daughter based in Rhode Island. He recommended the bid from Silver Airways.
Patty Carson of Caribou pointed out the longstanding connection that Presque Isle has had to Boston, especially in the medical field. Carson, who is from southeastern Connecticut, said that the lack of quick access to Boston had recently affected her in a time of grief.
“Having suffered a death in my immediate family down in Connecticut a year ago, I found it extremely frustrating that I couldn’t get there without making that long, eight-hour drive,” Carson said.
Keith Flanagan said he had begun driving to Boston for specialized medical treatment, as he didn’t have the time to take a connecting flight from Newark.
Penning said that city officials had spoken to United about moving its service from Newark to Washington Dulles International Airport, located in the Washington, D.C., metro area. While he said it wasn’t a “dead concept,” it was not something the airline was willing to do for the new contract.
“They were not ready to switch the service to Washington because the New York market has grown pretty considerably with the local service,” Penning said.
One of the only positive things said about United throughout the day came from Presque Isle International Airport Director Scott Wardell, who noted that ticket sales had shot up since United began service in 2017. Penning also pointed out some of the advantages Newark had over Boston, especially its connectivity to other airports.
One factor pointed out by Penning concerning Southern’s bid shocked many attendees: if the city council was to choose Southern, and the DOT went with their suggestion, it would prohibit them from ever choosing a non-single-engine carrier for future EAS service
While the Presque Isle Airport Advisory Committee will make a recommendation on Jan. 7, and Presque Isle City Council will make its pick on Jan. 8, Penning said the Department of Transportation would make the final decision around February or March.
Among the people attending the forum were Presque Isle City Manager Martin Puckett and several members of Presque Isle City Council.
