PORTLAND — Frequent fliers, travel agents and vendors at the Portland International Jetport say only good things can come from Friday’s announcement that the nation’s largest domestic airline will soon be flying out of Portland.
Southwest Airlines, known for superior customer service and low fares, said Portland made the list of airports it will serve when it merges operations with AirTran Airways.
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The sale of AirTran to Southwest was completed in May. AirTran has served Portland, but jetport officials had no idea whether Southwest would continue the operation in Maine’s largest city. Southwest has begun shutting down AirTran service in other airports around the country.
Southwest Airlines spokesman Todd Painter said Monday that the airline has not established a time line for converting operations from AirTran to Southwest in Portland. Southwest’s passenger service and route plans also remain unknown.
Despite the lack of information about when Southwest will start operating in Portland and what flights it will offer, people are excited.
Paul Bradbury, the jetport’s director, said the extent of the public’s interest in Southwest caught even him a little off guard.
Direct flights from Portland are highly unlikely, he said. It’s more likely that passengers will stop and make connections at a Southwest hub in Baltimore before reaching their destinations.
Steve Hewins, vice president of travel for AAA Northern New England, said Southwest will benefit fliers leaving Portland, and those who fly to Maine.
“I’m optimistic that this will solidify Portland as a low-fare city,” said Hewins, who operated Hewins Travel for 24 years before selling his agency five years ago.
“I think Southwest will lure more tourists and out-of-state businesses here,” he said. “This is going to put us on the serious vacation map.”
Hewins said that with Southwest Airlines in Portland, travelers won’t have to leave to fly Southwest out of Manchester, N.H., or Boston. He said the drive and the high parking rates at both of those airports are already putting off many Mainers, though buses run directly from Portland to Boston’s Logan International Airport.
“We’ll see how it plays out, but if I could fly out of Portland it would be a lot nicer than having to drive to Manchester or Boston,” said Corey Miller of Biddeford, who has family and friends in Michigan and flies there to visit them.
Peter Graumnitz of Cumberland owns Indisco, a Scarborough-based kitchen cabinet maker.
He flies frequently to Phoenix, where he has family and a small vacation home.
He had been waiting anxiously to hear whether Southwest Airlines will come to Portland.
“I love to fly Southwest because they seem like a pretty straightforward and honest operation,” Graumnitz said. “Their no fees for bags is another big thing. Quite honestly, for selfish reasons, I think it’s wonderful they are coming.”
Joe Faria, operations director for HMS Host, the company that operates the jetport’s food and beverage businesses, said “it’s exciting news” that Southwest is coming to Portland.
“Southwest just brings so much to an airport because of … their affordability,” he said.
Faria said the airline should bring more people into Portland’s airport and eliminate the need for travelers to go to Boston or Manchester.
“I’m pleased as punch,” said Jerry Angier, who has served on the jetport’s terminal expansion committee. “It will give us another low-cost airline.”
Even Gov. Paul LePage weighed in on Friday’s announcement. LePage said he is hopeful that Southwest’s presence will create jobs and lure more tourists to the state.
“The potential for expanded routes and more competitive fares is great news for the city of Portland as well as the rest of the state and certainly increases the possibility of more jobs at the jetport,” LePage said in a prepared statement.
“As the jetport continues to grow, it creates jobs, provides additional flight options for customers and makes it easier to sell Maine as a destination for job creators,” the governor said.
Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at: dhoey@pressherald.com
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