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V O L . X X I V N O. X X V O C T O B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 8 24 Florida is also important to Elite Airways, a Portland-based carrier offering chartered and scheduled services throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and South America. It offers scheduled service from the Jetport to Florida's Orlando Melbourne International, Sarasota- Bradenton and Vero Beach airports. Elite started scheduled service to Florida around four years ago and company president John Pearsall is also open to flying out of Bangor. "Once we can figure out where to go out of there, we'll do it," he says. American, Delta and United all fly out of both Portland and Bangor. American, which flies out of both Maine airports, added connections between the Jetport and LaGuardia in April, and between Bangor and O'Hare in June. "We think it's important to serve small and large cities," says spokes- woman Nichelle Tait. Drumming up more business in Bangor Like Bradbury, Bangor International's Caruso is on a mission to drum up more business. "We've been working really hard with our current airlines on adding capacity and frequency to the market, and to our market's credit, the folks here have responded well," he said by phone before heading to an international cargo trade show in Toronto to court potential new partners in that segment. He would also like to get more commercial and general-aviation business, but notes that it can be a long process to lure carriers, like the three years between his first pitch to low-cost airline Allegiant in early 2004 and its arrival in 2007. "Some carriers we've been talking to longer than that unfortunately haven't come into the market," he says. Allegiant flies from Bangor to two smaller Florida airports, Orlando Sanford International and St. Pete- Clearwater International, and spokes- woman Hilarie Grey says both routes are doing well. Because of demand, it's adding frequencies for spring, and is on pace for a 10% jump in outbound passengers from 2017-18, she adds. "Allegiant's business model is built around offering access to leisure des- tinations for people who might not otherwise be able to fly," she says. "e Bangor routes are really prototypical examples of that philosophy at work." Bangor taxiway revamp, Jetport customs plan To accommodate more passengers flying in and out of Maine, Bangor International embarked on a federally funded $6.4 million taxiway revamp this summer, while the Jetport is fin- ishing a $1.45 million project to install 30,000 feet of photovoltaic solar panels on its garage roof to help trim electric- ity costs, about six years after a $75 mil- lion terminal expansion. On a more ambitious note, Bradbury would like to add customs facilities at the Jetport, which would open up possibilities to fly internationally again — in the past there were flights to Toronto — to places like Reykjavik, Iceland, or the Caribbean, including on low-cost carriers. Bradbury estimates an outlay of around $7.5 million to $10 million for the undertaking, ideally if the FAA approves an increase in the so-called Passenger Facility Charge from $4.50 to $8.00 though that's not yet happened. If the money were available today, Bradbury says everything could be ready in six months since there is already space on the first floor. "It won't be a panacea on the busi- ness front," he says, "but non-stop inter- national is another opportunity for us." Renee Cordes, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at rcordes @ mainebiz.biz THERE IS A DIFFERENCE Because Construction Management Design/Build General Contracting Engineering Sheridan Construction www.sheridancorp.com Fairfield Portland 207-453-9311 207-774-6138 » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E F O C U S P H O T O / JA S O N PA I G E S M I T H Tony Caruso, director of the Bangor International Airport since 2011, is an FAA-licensed private pilot. We've been working really hard with our current airlines on adding capacity and frequency to the market, and to our market's credit, the folks here have responded well. — Tony Caruso Director, Bangor International Airport

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