Even more new flights coming to Bangor, Portland airports

Courtesy / Bangor International Airport Bangor International Airport, where Director Tony Caruso is shown here, will add nonstop service on American Airlines to Dallas-Fort Worth and to Miami.

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By Staff

The state’s two largest airports, which in recent weeks have both announced new commercial flight services, are adding even more.

American Airlines on Wednesday said it will begin flying nonstop from Bangor International Airport to hubs at Dallas-Fort Worth and Miami, while Southwest Airlines has said it will expand service between Portland International Jetport and Chicago Midway.

Saturday service between Bangor and Miami is scheduled to begin at the end of June and run through Labor Day, Sept. 6, according to a news release. Flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth will begin as Saturday-only service on July 3, and then go daily from mid-August to Nov. 6.

American currently provides nonstop service between BGR and three cities: Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and on a seasonal basis, Charlotte, N.C.

“American Airlines has always provided excellent service for our market and we couldn’t be more excited to offer two brand new destinations to our passengers,” said BGR Director Tony Caruso.

“As more people become vaccinated, we are slowly beginning to see an increase in passenger traffic. We are fully aware that not everyone is ready to fly just yet, but when they are, we are making sure that we’re safe, clean and ready to welcome them to the airport.”

Brian Znotins, American’s vice president of network planning, said, “We’re eager to add service between Bangor and our Dallas-Fort Worth and Miami hubs, complementing existing service to Charlotte and Washington-Reagan. As customers once again embrace travel, the great outdoors are at the top of their list. These new flights also provide Mainers with expanded one-stop access to American’s global network.”

In Portland, Southwest is expanding its weekend-only service to Chicago Midway to daily service for the summer. The expanded service starts June 6, and will result in over 1,000 seats each week for westbound passengers, the airline said in a news release.

In addition to the existing weekend service between PWM and Chicago, Southwest currently operates three daily nonstop flights to and from Baltimore.

“We continue to see our airline partners add capacity into Portland for the summer,” said Paul Bradbury, airport director. “We thank Southwest Airlines for the additional investment in our market and believe this service will be a great addition for Southwest travelers, especially those with westbound connection needs.”

Last month, United Airlines announced it will more than double the number of routes it flies out of Portland International Jetport.

The carrier, which currently has four nonstop flights to and from PWM, in May will add six more destinations: Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh, plus three in Ohio — Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland.

American, Delta Air Lines and Frontier Airlines also have recently announced additional service at PWM. In Bangor, Allegiant Air has said it will launch a new nonstop service in May to and from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.