JetBlue mulls flying from Portland, but decision years away PORTLAND, Maine (AP) =97 JetBlue Airlines is considering adding the Portland= =20 International Jetport to its stable of markets, but any definitive plans=20 are several years away, a spokeswoman for the low-cost carrier said.=20 JetBlue announced plans Tuesday to expand regional travel services with a=20 $3 billion order for 100 small jets. Fiona Morrisson, a JetBlue=20 spokeswoman, said entry into Maine's air travel market remains just a=20 possibility since the first set of Embraer jets are not due for delivery=20 until 2005. "We've expressed interest in a lot of places," Morrisson said.= =20 "Yes, Portland has been on our radar, but we don't have any plans to=20 announce service to it in the immediate future." In the past, Portland officials have met with JetBlue representatives with= =20 the hope of luring the discount airline to the Jetport. A discount operator= =20 in Portland would likely cause lower prices across the board, as happened=20 when Southwest Airlines began flying from Manchester Airport in New=20 Hampshire. "JetBlue would introduce a new realm of across-the-board=20 competition; you get that Southwest effect. It tends to lower fairs across= =20 the entire market," said Jeffrey Monroe, Portland's transportation=20 director. JetBlue, which uses JFK International Airport in New York as its= =20 hub, charges an average of $60 for flights under 300 miles, less than half= =20 of what major carriers charge. The discount airline's order of 100 planes=20 marks the beginning of a strategy to challenge the country's largest=20 carriers in mid-sized markets. Until now, JetBlue has mainly provided=20 long-haul service to larger markets, using a single aircraft, the Airbus=20 A320. JetBlue plans to receive seven Embraer jetliners in 2005, with about= =20 18 more planes to be delivered each year through 2011. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Mas Site: www.tntisland.com/tntrecords/mas2003/ Site of the Week: http://www.natalielaughlin.com/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************