Boston-Maine Airways
Encyclopedia
Boston-Maine Airways was an American
airline
headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
, United States
. It operated scheduled commuter services under the Pan Am Clipper Connection banner. Its main base was Pease International Airport
, Portsmouth. Boston-Maine Airways ceased
all Pan Am flights on February 29, 2008.
and also flew leased BAe Jetstream 31 aircraft for Caesar's of Atlantic City, New Jersey
. It is wholly owned by Pan Am Systems
(formerly known as Guilford Transportation Industries), which owns the Pan Am brand
.
Under the name Pan Am Clipper Connection, Boston-Maine Airways operated six round-trips daily between Trenton-Mercer Airport
in Ewing, New Jersey, and Hanscom Field
in Bedford, Massachusetts
. Boston-Maine Airways also operated one round-trip daily between Trenton-Mercer Airport and Pease International Airport
in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
.
Guilford ceased operating Pan American Airways on November 1, 2004, but operations were transferred to Boston-Maine Airways, which resumed Boeing 727
service under the Pan Am Clipper Connection brand on February 17, 2005.
In August 2005, a federal investigation into fraudulent financial data submitted by Boston-Maine Airways halted plans to expand its fleet and route system. At the same time, the airline pilots union claimed that the airline was unfit to operate and urged the Department of Transportation
to deny the airline's certification for expansion. The airline later announced that it was suspending service from September 6 to November 16, citing rising fuel costs and decreased levels of booking. In the middle of October 2005, the airline suspended Boeing 727 flights indefinitely from several airports that it served, including its home base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
However, by March 21, 2006, Pan Am Clipper Connection became the first announced non-charter service to connect to the growing Tunica Municipal Airport
in Tunica
, Mississippi
. The addition not only connected the carrier to a burgeoning casino destination, but also aided efforts to bolster Tunica Municipal as a secondary airport to Memphis International Airport
in nearby Memphis, Tennessee
. Boston-Maine Airways' Pan Am Clipper Connection flew from Tunica Municipal Airport to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
three times per week; the service to Tunica had ended by October the same year.
On August 1, 2006, Boston-Maine Airways announced that it would begin Pan Am Clipper Connection service to Elmira-Corning Regional Airport
in Elmira, New York
. Company executives believed that Elmira was a perfect fit for the company, with its close proximity to Rochester
, Ithaca
, Binghamton
, and Williamsport
. The airline flew twice-daily routes to Bedford, Massachusetts
, Trenton, New Jersey
, and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
. Proposed future plans included possible flights to Orlando
and Tampa, Florida
, using Boeing 727
aircraft. However, by fall of 2007, service to Elmira ceased.
Pan Am Clipper Connection began non-stop service to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Bedford, Massachusetts, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire from New Haven, Connecticut, on March 8, 2007, using 19 seat Jetstream 31 aircraft. Service was later discontinued in August 2007.
The motion to revoke Boston-Maine's DOT air carrier certificate was brought by the Air Line Pilots Association. DOT specifically cited the numerous instances where the airline's officials had failed to follow federal laws and regulations and had filed false financial data with the Department in its application for authority to fly large aircraft. The DOT concluded that it would have never granted the large aircraft authority had it known of the false information filed by Boston-Maine.
The DOT also rejected the carrier's arguments that it was not responsible for the Company's former General Counsel and Vice President's filing of such false information (Boston-Maine had asserted that this individual had acted alone, without the Company's knowledge or involvement).
On February 28, 2008, Boston-Maine Airways ended its Jetstream-based scheduled passenger service. March 29, 2008 was the last 727 flight.
Beginning in July 2008, the company moved 8 of its planes to Concord Municipal Airport
in New Hampshire, with the intent to keep them there until buyers took the planes. Parked on the ramp were six Jetstream 31s to be sold, but one Jetstream and a Citation 500 (the ninth ever made) were placed in the corporate hangar operated by Concord Aviation Services. As of August 30, 2008, six planes remain on the ramp, with the aforementioned two in the hangar.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It operated scheduled commuter services under the Pan Am Clipper Connection banner. Its main base was Pease International Airport
Pease International Airport
Portsmouth International Airport at Pease is a public-use joint civil-military airport located one nautical mile west of the central business district of Portsmouth, a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States...
, Portsmouth. Boston-Maine Airways ceased
all Pan Am flights on February 29, 2008.
History
Boston-Maine Airways was established in March 1999 and started operations in May 2000. It was founded as a feeder for Pan American AirwaysPan American Airways (1998-2004)
Pan American Airways was a United States airline that operated scheduled services in the eastern USA, as well as charters for tour operators and services to the Dominican Republic.- History :...
and also flew leased BAe Jetstream 31 aircraft for Caesar's of Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
. It is wholly owned by Pan Am Systems
Pan Am Systems
Pan Am Systems is a privately held company that controls the following divisions: rail transport; manufacturing and energy; transportation related brands; real estate; and a now-defunct airline division. The company is headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.-History:Guilford Transportation...
(formerly known as Guilford Transportation Industries), which owns the Pan Am brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
.
Under the name Pan Am Clipper Connection, Boston-Maine Airways operated six round-trips daily between Trenton-Mercer Airport
Trenton-Mercer Airport
Trenton-Mercer Airport , formerly known as Mercer County Airport, is a public airport located in Ewing, New Jersey, four miles northwest of the central business district of Trenton, a city in Mercer County, New Jersey...
in Ewing, New Jersey, and Hanscom Field
Hanscom Field
Hanscom Field , also known by its full name Laurence G. Hanscom Field, is a public airport located in Bedford, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is operated by the Massachusetts Port Authority....
in Bedford, Massachusetts
Bedford, Massachusetts
Bedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is within the Greater Boston area, north-west of the city of Boston. The population of Bedford was 13,320 at the 2010 census.- History :...
. Boston-Maine Airways also operated one round-trip daily between Trenton-Mercer Airport and Pease International Airport
Pease International Airport
Portsmouth International Airport at Pease is a public-use joint civil-military airport located one nautical mile west of the central business district of Portsmouth, a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States...
in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
.
Guilford ceased operating Pan American Airways on November 1, 2004, but operations were transferred to Boston-Maine Airways, which resumed Boeing 727
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
service under the Pan Am Clipper Connection brand on February 17, 2005.
In August 2005, a federal investigation into fraudulent financial data submitted by Boston-Maine Airways halted plans to expand its fleet and route system. At the same time, the airline pilots union claimed that the airline was unfit to operate and urged the Department of Transportation
United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
to deny the airline's certification for expansion. The airline later announced that it was suspending service from September 6 to November 16, citing rising fuel costs and decreased levels of booking. In the middle of October 2005, the airline suspended Boeing 727 flights indefinitely from several airports that it served, including its home base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
However, by March 21, 2006, Pan Am Clipper Connection became the first announced non-charter service to connect to the growing Tunica Municipal Airport
Tunica Municipal Airport
Tunica Municipal Airport is a public-use airport located east of the central business district of Tunica, a town in Tunica County, Mississippi, United States...
in Tunica
Tunica, Mississippi
Tunica is a town in Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, located near the Mississippi River. Until the early 1990s the town was one of the most impoverished places in the United States, semi-famous for the particularly deprived neighbourhood known as "Sugar Ditch Alley", named for the open...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. The addition not only connected the carrier to a burgeoning casino destination, but also aided efforts to bolster Tunica Municipal as a secondary airport to Memphis International Airport
Memphis International Airport
Memphis International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located three miles south of the central business district of Memphis, a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States....
in nearby Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. Boston-Maine Airways' Pan Am Clipper Connection flew from Tunica Municipal Airport to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport , known locally as Atlanta Airport, Hartsfield Airport, and Hartsfield–Jackson, is located seven miles south of the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States...
three times per week; the service to Tunica had ended by October the same year.
On August 1, 2006, Boston-Maine Airways announced that it would begin Pan Am Clipper Connection service to Elmira-Corning Regional Airport
Elmira-Corning Regional Airport
-Top Destinations:-Incidents:On June 23, 1967, Mohawk Airlines Flight 40, operated on a BAC-111 regional jet, crashed in Blossburg, Pennsylvania, shortly after taking off from Elmira-Corning, killing all 34 persons on board....
in Elmira, New York
Elmira, New York
Elmira is a city in Chemung County, New York, USA. It is the principal city of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses Chemung County, New York. The population was 29,200 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chemung County.The City of Elmira is located in...
. Company executives believed that Elmira was a perfect fit for the company, with its close proximity to Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, Ithaca
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
, Binghamton
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
, and Williamsport
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Williamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. In 2009, the population was estimated at 29,304...
. The airline flew twice-daily routes to Bedford, Massachusetts
Bedford, Massachusetts
Bedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is within the Greater Boston area, north-west of the city of Boston. The population of Bedford was 13,320 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
, and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is an international airport serving the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area in the United States. It is commonly called BWI, BWI Airport or BWI Marshall, BWI being an initialism for "Baltimore/Washington International" and the...
. Proposed future plans included possible flights to Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
and Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, using Boeing 727
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
aircraft. However, by fall of 2007, service to Elmira ceased.
Pan Am Clipper Connection began non-stop service to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Bedford, Massachusetts, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire from New Haven, Connecticut, on March 8, 2007, using 19 seat Jetstream 31 aircraft. Service was later discontinued in August 2007.
End of service
On February 1, 2008, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a Show Cause Order (Order 2008-2-3, DOT Docket Number DOT-OST-2000-7668), concluding that Boston-Maine's air carrier certificate should be revoked for three reasons: 1) lack of financial fitness, 2) lack of proper management oversight, and 3) lack of "compliance disposition," or willingness to follow federal laws, rules and regulations.The motion to revoke Boston-Maine's DOT air carrier certificate was brought by the Air Line Pilots Association. DOT specifically cited the numerous instances where the airline's officials had failed to follow federal laws and regulations and had filed false financial data with the Department in its application for authority to fly large aircraft. The DOT concluded that it would have never granted the large aircraft authority had it known of the false information filed by Boston-Maine.
The DOT also rejected the carrier's arguments that it was not responsible for the Company's former General Counsel and Vice President's filing of such false information (Boston-Maine had asserted that this individual had acted alone, without the Company's knowledge or involvement).
On February 28, 2008, Boston-Maine Airways ended its Jetstream-based scheduled passenger service. March 29, 2008 was the last 727 flight.
Beginning in July 2008, the company moved 8 of its planes to Concord Municipal Airport
Concord Municipal Airport
Concord Municipal Airport is a public-use airport located two miles east of the central business district of Concord, a city in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. This general aviation airport is publicly owned by the City of Concord...
in New Hampshire, with the intent to keep them there until buyers took the planes. Parked on the ramp were six Jetstream 31s to be sold, but one Jetstream and a Citation 500 (the ninth ever made) were placed in the corporate hangar operated by Concord Aviation Services. As of August 30, 2008, six planes remain on the ramp, with the aforementioned two in the hangar.
Destinations
Boston-Maine Airways operated the following services (as of November 2007) :- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
- BedfordBedford, MassachusettsBedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is within the Greater Boston area, north-west of the city of Boston. The population of Bedford was 13,320 at the 2010 census.- History :...
(Hanscom FieldHanscom FieldHanscom Field , also known by its full name Laurence G. Hanscom Field, is a public airport located in Bedford, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is operated by the Massachusetts Port Authority....
)
- Bedford
- New HampshireNew HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
- PortsmouthPortsmouth, New HampshirePortsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
(Pease International AirportPease International AirportPortsmouth International Airport at Pease is a public-use joint civil-military airport located one nautical mile west of the central business district of Portsmouth, a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States...
)
- Portsmouth
- New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
- TrentonTrenton, New JerseyTrenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
(Trenton-Mercer AirportTrenton-Mercer AirportTrenton-Mercer Airport , formerly known as Mercer County Airport, is a public airport located in Ewing, New Jersey, four miles northwest of the central business district of Trenton, a city in Mercer County, New Jersey...
)
- Trenton
- Massachusetts
Fleet
The Boston-Maine Airways fleet consisted of the following aircraft (as of June 2007):| Aircraft | In Service | On Order | Notes |
| BAe Jetstream 31 | 6 | 6 on the ramp at Concord Municipal Airport to be sold, one in a hangar. | |
| Boeing 727-200 Boeing 727 The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced... |
3 | "cold storage" |