Maine

Elite Airways Begins Non-Stop Flights from Portland to Florida

Maine Public | By Fred Bever,

Ed Morin

Published September 6, 2016 at 2:27 PM EDT

PORTLAND, Maine - A Portland-based air carrier that aims to connect underserved communities with popular destinations has announced a new service to Sarasota, Florida.

Starting in November, Elite Airways is adding two non-stops flights a week between Portland International Jetport and Sarasota-Bradenton International.

Elite President John Pearsall says the demand for Maine-to-Florida service has been consistently strong. "We believe there's a strong network of folks who have homes both here in Portland and down in the Sarasota-Bradenton area, as we believe this will service not only them but vacationers through the year."

The flights will be on Thursday and Sundays, staring Nov. 17, with fares starting at $199, each way.

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Maine Elite Airways

Fred Bever

A Columbia University graduate, Fred began his journalism career as a print reporter in Vermont, then came to Maine Public in 2001 as its political reporter, as well as serving as a host for a variety of Maine Public Radio and Maine Public Television programs. Fred later went on to become news director for New England Public Radio in Western Massachusetts and worked as a freelancer for National Public Radio and a number of regional public radio stations, including WBUR in Boston and NHPR in New Hampshire.

See stories by Fred Bever

Ed Morin

Ed is a Maine native who spent his early childhood in Livermore Falls before moving to Farmington. He graduated from Mount Blue High School in 1970 before going to the University of Maine at Orono where he received his BA in speech in 1974 with a broadcast concentration. It was during that time that he first became involved with public broadcasting. He served as an intern for what was then called MPBN TV and also did volunteer work for MPBN Radio.