Presque Isle welcomes 1st JetBlue flight

JetBlue made its first flight to Aroostook County Thursday afternoon when a jet carrying 90 passengers touched down at the Presque Isle International Airport.

A crowd of more than 100 gathered inside for a celebration to welcome the airline that will serve as Presque Isle’s Essential Air Service carrier for the next two years.

Headquartered in Long Island City, New York, JetBlue will offer flights to and from Boston’s Logan International Airport. For the past six years, United Airlines has served the area with flights to Newark, New Jersey. JetBlue will use 100-passenger planes the first year, expanding to 150-passenger jets the next year. The change promises growth for Presque Isle and northern Maine, where airline connections are vital to the local economy, officials said.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our community to travel at a lower cost,” said City Manager Tyler Brown. “Presque Isle is a vital gateway to Aroostook County. If you’re coming to Aroostook County, you’re coming to Presque Isle.”

The celebration included refreshments and live music from the Lovejoy/Pelletier Jazz Ensemble of Presque Isle. Local leaders and airline officials spoke and legislative representatives shared comments.

“I think there’s enthusiasm for a change,” City Council Chair Kevin Freeman said. “We’re very optimistic for our future with our new partner, JetBlue.”

Ninety passengers were on Thursday’s flight and another 90 are booked for tomorrow’s flight to Boston, City Councilor Craig Green said.

Aroostook County Administrator Ryan Pelletier said Thursday’s flight is a new beginning for the region, and County officials look forward to the opportunities that will arise from daily connections with Boston.

“Commercial air service is a critical and fundamental component for economic development and vitality in rural areas like ours,” Pelletier said.

Numerous JetBlue staff were also on site, including Jeff Goodell, vice president of government and airport affairs. The airline looks forward to serving Presque Isle and is also expanding in other New England, Goodell said, including Portland .

“I’ve gotten to go a lot of places along a lot of routes, and I don’t think we’ve ever been as warmly welcomed as here,” he said. “We’ve heard from many people that they wanted to restore the traditional link to Boston and we’re thrilled to help make that happen.”

Remarks also came from Sen. Angus King and Rep. Jared Golden.

Regional airports provide crucial connections for people in less populated areas, King said. Presque Isle is the gateway to northern Maine and Essential Air Service connections benefit businesses and communities.

Many of Maine’s small towns and “wild places” are far away from travel hubs, so Essential Air Service is vital to rural communities, Golden said. Service at PQI puts travelers closer to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway and more.

Among the first passengers to arrive was Virginia Rossignol Lucia, who lives in Boston and Texas and flew in to visit family in Van Buren. She plans to fly more often now that there’s a connection with Logan Airport, she said.

Jim Ryan of Tampa came to Presque Isle to visit family and for a memorial event, he said. He appreciated the weather, cooler and drier than Tampa right now, and the direct flight from Boston to Presque Isle.

“It was a great flight and the people were great,” he said. “They had a little celebration in Boston when the plane took off, too.”

Ricky Beaulieu of St. Leonard, New Brunswick, was also on the flight, his first time flying with JetBlue. It was a good trip and took about 50 minutes from Logan to Presque Isle, he said.

Presque Isle receives Essential Air Service through the U.S. Department of Transportation, which chose JetBlue in June , citing factors like strong city support and a savings of more than $4 million in subsidies it would pay for JetBlue to serve the area.

For Essential Air Service carriers, those subsidies make a smaller, more remote airport like Presque Isle attractive.

United, one of three other airlines to bid on the 2024-26 service contract, would have received $26.2 million in subsidies for the two years, according to the June 4 selection order . JetBlue will receive $10,412,703 the first year and $11,235,581 the second, a total of $21.6 million.

Three weeks after the selection, United Airlines requested that the DOT rescind its choice of JetBlue. No further documentation has been recorded under the Presque Isle decision.

JetBlue will provide one round-trip flight from PQI to Logan daily, 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.

In preparation for the new carrier, Presque Isle enlarged its terminal to accommodate the required number of seats for a 100-passenger plane. A small addition brings the number of seats to 80, which meets Transportation Security Administration rules.

It also updated security procedures and added more Transportation Safety Administration staff.

The airport is in the process of a new $30 million terminal project, announced last year. The new, two-story terminal will replace the existing 80-year-old building.