BDN interviews Rubin about increase in passengers at Maine airports
Jonathan Rubin, a professor of resource economics and policy at the University of Maine, was quoted in the Bangor Daily News article, “Bangor, Portland airports report increased passenger counts.” Bangor International Airport officials reported 168,072 passengers used the facility in June, July and August, which is up 4.8 percent from the same period last year, according to the article. Portland International Jetport reported 564,272 passengers used the jetport during that time, which was up 8.5 percent, the article states. Rubin said the main causes for the increase are business and leisure travel. He said Bangor’s airport bucks the trend nationally for achieving passenger growth despite not having a low-cost national carrier, such as Southwest or JetBlue. Nationally, most airline growth has occurred among low-cost carriers, he told the BDN.