PenAir will end service from Boston

PenAir is a small company that operates regional flights to and from Boston. The airline considers Boston Logan Airport a hub and operates flights to Plattsburgh, NY, Presque Isle, ME and Bar Harbor, ME on Saab 340's with 33 seats. Since 2012 the airline has been providing service to the small communities under Essential Air Service, a federal subsidy for an airline to serve a route with low demand in order to connect the rural communities to larger cities. Unfortunately, PenAir's contract is coming to an end soon, therefore a new round of bidding for the subsidies has occurred. Unfortunately, United won the subsidy to serve both Presque Isle, ME to Newark Airport and Plattsburgh, New York to Washington Dulles Airport from the US Department of Transportation due to its lower subsidy need. Therefore, June 30, 2018, PenAir will operate its final flights between the cities before the service goes to United Airlines. The subsidy for the Bar Harbor route will be decided April 5, 2018, but currently, the airline only flies the route seasonally. The airline will, unfortunately, have to terminate its Boston hub, because of a lack of routes. I cannot imagine the airline staying in Boston Logan with only a seasonal route to Bar Harbor. It will be sad to see the airline go, along with the increasingly rare Saab 340s.
Sources:
www.mynbc5.com
www.wagmtv.com
airlineinfo.com
bangordailynews.com

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