Skybus, the only passenger airline to fly in and out of Pease International Tradeport, is angling to broaden its service in and out of the Seacoast airport.
Latest reports have Skybus initiating the thought for changes in a Sept. 6 memo to the Pease Development Authority.
Skybus has been flying in and out of Pease for Florida — by way of Columbus, Ohio — since May.
It sounds like an interesting way to get to Florida from New Hampshire and Southern Maine — by an extremely circuitous route.
Portsmouth to Ft. Lauderdale by way of Columbus? It sounds like the equivalent of driving from Dover to Keene with a stop in Laconia.
We're familiar with flying nondirect. If we want to get to Seattle, Wash., from Manchester we're likely to change planes in Detroit — but all the while going in our intended direction.
Would you fly to Alaska by way of Rio de Janeiro? Probably not.
Give the PDA credit for being aggressive in its courtship of broadened and more direct service.
While Skybus' memo showed interest in doing something more with Pease, it seems the interest is nebulous.
Dick Green, the executive director of the PDA, told the agency's board of directors Thursday he hopes Skybus will make Portsmouth what they call a "focus city." He added, however, the airline is talking with officials from four to six flight locations about becoming "focus" cities, but the company would not say whether Portsmouth is a candidate.
There have been times over the past 15 years that we've been critical of the PDA and its management. This is not one of those times. The PDA board and its staff are working hard to make Portsmouth a player in air travel — an airport that is a viable alternative to the madness of Logan International Airport in Boston.
Like in so many other fields, airports are about location, location and location.
Portsmouth is on the center-edge of a semi-circle. While the traffic in and around Boston is an experience few people want to repeatedly experience, it is not an uncomfortable bus ride of less than two hours to Logan for foreign and long-run domestic flights. Manchester-Boston Airport has become one of the most important regional airports in the Northeast, only an hour away, from the Seacoast; an airport you can arrive at with the ease of travel and inexpensive parking when you get there. Portland Jetport has similar attributes. Multiple airlines fly in and out of Manchester and Portland every day of the week from early morning well into the evening.
At the same time, as the region continues to grow — in population and commercial/industrial development — feeder airports such as Pease will become more valuable, even if they are of a one-airline nature.
Thursday, the PDA extended it current agreement with Skybus for another 12 months. It also agreed to waive passenger handling, landing, parking and other fees. It's a $90,000 package of good faith shown to Skybus.
Thursday also saw the PDA appropriate $143,000 for the design of an airport plan in two phases and through 2010.
"We as an airport want to be in a position to say to Skybus that we can accommodate these airplanes and their plans," said Dick Green. We trust the PDA will also be thinking beyond its relationship with Skybus, keeping in mind, few things are forever.
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