At Hanscom, few tickets for Vineyard
Airline often bypasses field

By Davis Bushnell, Globe Correspondent, 8/19/2002

BEDFORD - The 19-seat Jetstream turboprops from Boston-Maine Airways have been more talked about than seen since July 1, when the small Portsmouth, N.H.-based carrier made its inaugural flight from Hanscom Field to Martha's Vineyard.

And there's a good reason for the commuter airline's low profile so far: spotty demand, said Dan Fortnam, marketing vice president.

''There have been flyovers,'' Fortnam said, explaining that flights taking off from Portsmouth pass over Hanscom when there are no passengers to be picked up for Martha's Vineyard.

That's been the case numerous times, particularly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, he said, declining to give the number of flyovers. The airline is scheduled to make one round trip a day to the island. The round trip fare from Hanscom ranges from $204.50 to $309.84, depending on how many passengers are booked for a flight.

The Massachusetts Port Authority, owner-operator of Hanscom, has not received a July operations report from Boston-Maine, said Richard Walsh, a spokesman.

Shuttle America, which operates as US Airways Express, ended its service to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket on Aug. 4, citing poor ticket sales. It had begun serving the islands on May 24 with one flight on Thursday and Friday nights and two flights each Saturday and Sunday.

Despite Shuttle America's experiences and his airline's to date, Fortnam said he's convinced that Martha's Vineyard is a viable destination. ''We just have to find the right combinations'' for attracting passengers, he said.

Plans now call for the airline to have two round trips a week to the Vineyard from October to April.

Meanwhile, Boston-Maine will have four flights a day, starting Sept. 5, between Hanscom and White Plains, N.Y., he said.

''Hanscom is a valuable airport that we want to serve,'' Fortnam said.

This story ran on page B2 of the Boston Globe on 8/19/2002.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.
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