Flying on Pen Air
IN THE CITY
by Scott Wardwell
Pen Air began service to the Northern Maine Regional Airport (PQI) on June 15, 2012. There still remains a large number of people with important questions about the service. These questions cover a wide range from number of flights per day to making connections in Boston. In this article, I will answer the most frequently asked questions.
Pen Air currently has three departures per day Monday through Friday. On the weekend there are two departures per day. The flights are direct non-stop to Boston Logan Airport on a 34-seat turboprop aircraft with cabin class service including a flight attendant and restroom.
Over the last several years, the popularity of online booking has increased significantly. One of the prime drivers in this trend has been the additional fee charged by US Airways to make reservations either over the phone or at the ticket counter. Pen Air, on the other hand, would prefer that you make reservations over the phone and does not charge an additional fee for doing so. Their reservation department can be reached at 1-800-448-4226. Local travel agents provide an even greater level of personal service, but an additional fee is typically charged. If you have concerns and question, travel agents can be a tremendous resource.
For those who still wish to make reservations online, www.penair.comcan be used for making reservations when Boston, Bar Harbor or Plattsburg, N.Y. is your final destination. If you are traveling to other locations, www.expedia.com is one of the sites that Pen Air tickets can be purchased at and combined with other airlines. However, this site still is not working quite the way it should. For connections out of Boston, it seems to always direct the passenger to either United or US Airways. For example, if you are traveling to John F Kennedy (JFK) Airport in New York it will take you to Washington, D.C. on US Airways or United then back to JFK. The proper selection would be American Airlines direct from Boston to JFK. The stop from Boston to JFK takes less time and costs less.
Many still have questions about making connections in Boston. It is true Pen Air is not affiliated with a major airline in the way that our previous regional carrier, Colgan, was with US Airways. However, Pen Air does have baggage and ticketing agreements with the four major airlines: American, Delta, United and US Airways. This agreement allows you to make a single purchase of a ticket for a combined trip on Pen Air from Presque Isle to Boston and then on one of the four major carriers to your final destination. To ensure that you get this combined ticket, I would recommend you either use the 1-800 number given above or work with a local travel agent. Expedia will combine tickets as well, but it still has some issues and could result in having to pay substantially more.
If you have this combined ticket with connections on one of the four major carriers listed above, once in Boston your checked baggage will be automatically forwarded to your final destination. All Pen Air flights arrive and depart Terminal B in Boston. This is the same terminal that our previous airline used. If you are making connections on US Airways, no change in terminals is necessary and you will not need to go through a TSA security checkpoint in Boston. Air Canada and Spirit Airlines is also accessible without going through security but your checked baggage will not be transferred automatically. If your connections are on United, Delta or American, a terminal change and an additional security check will be required.
Scott Wardwell is airport director for the city of Presque Isle’s Northern Maine Regional Airport. He can be reached at 764-2550 or via e-mail at scottw@flypresqueisle.com.
