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May 27--BANGOR, Maine -- In a welcome sign for summer travelers in eastern Maine, US Airways has reduced fares to more than half of the destinations offered through Bangor International Airport.
"Fourteen of Bangor's top 25 destinations are on the list of reduced fares ranging from 8 to 39 percent. These lower fares are effective immediately," Airport Director Rebecca Hupp announced Wednesday.
Hupp said the difference in prices offered by US Airways from Bangor compared to the prices offered on flights from Portland International Jetport has been the subject of discussion for some time.
"US Airways' responsiveness to the situation is beneficial to our passengers just in time for the busy summer season," she said.
Valerie Wunder, associate manager of media relations for Pheonix-based US Airways, said added capacity by the airline in general has made fare reductions possible.
"We also saw a large price difference between BGR and PWM, so we wanted to close that gap," she said, referring to the code names, respectively, for the airports in Bangor and Portland. "We've gotten a positive passenger response so far."
US Airways Express flies nonstop from Bangor to Philadelphia and LaGuardia in New York with connections to several other destinations in the United States and around the world. Beginning next month, US Airways also will operate nonstop service from Bangor to Washington, D.C., on Saturdays throughout the summer.
Despite a tough economy and reduction of service by Delta and the loss of Continental Airlines, BIA has not seen passenger traffic decrease. In most cases, numbers have increased. Overall, passenger statistics increased by 6 percent in 2009 over 2008, and the first few months of 2010 have been promising as well.
US Airways has been a steady carrier for BIA, which also offers flights to Florida through Allegiant Air and daily flights to New York and Detroit through Delta Airlines.
Examples of the one-way fare reductions from BIA include: Los Angeles, 35 percent (from $237 to $154); Orlando, 22 percent (from $124 to $97); San Francisco, 39 percent (from $232 to $142); and Chicago, 28 percent (from $155 to $112).
To see the full list of reduced fares, visit www.flybangor.com or www.usairways.com.
