During the summer, the Portland Jetport has between 13,000 and 14,000 passengers daily. During the winter, that drops down to five to 6,000 passengers per day.
PORTLAND, Maine — United Airlines will soon provide direct flights from Portland to Houston, Texas.
Portland Jetport Assistant Airport Director Zack Sundquist said Houston is the fifth city that United Airlines provides direct flights to. The seasonal flights to Houston will be available from June 28 to the end of August.
The airline currently offers year-round direct flights from the Portland International Jetport to Newark, Washington D.C., and Chicago O’Hare. There are also seasonal flights to Denver.
Sundquist said the additional service will make flying easier for summer travelers.
“During the summer, we do between 13,000 and 14,000 passengers a day. During the winter, that drops down to five to 6,000 passengers a day,” Sundquist said.
For travelers like Shannon Ritter, who often flies with her children, there are concerns that remain at the top of mind.
“You’re worried about your luggage. I want to be able to carry on. You want to get there on time make sure you’re not missing flights if there is one in the middle,” Ritter said.
Sundquist said direct flights lessen the worries for travelers.
“Every connection you have is kind of a mental concern, right,” he said. “Is my flight going to make it? Am I going to connect? All of that.”
He explained often people have to take multiple connecting flights to reach further destinations.
“There are certainly markets in Latin America, southern Texas, out west that are currently two stop connections for us currently,” Sundquist said. “This new service will allow you to get to those destinations in one stop.”
The only thing he can’t promise that this new seasonal service will bring is cheaper flights.
“Airline pricing is so dynamic,” Sundquist explained. “It really depends on the route on the exact day. It depends on what the demand is. It’s really demand-driven.”
The jetport also added a Frontier nonstop flight to Tampa this week.
For more local stories continue with us on our NEWS CENTER Maine+ streaming app.
For the latest breaking news, weather, and traffic alerts, download the NEWS CENTER Maine mobile app.