Pan Am Announces Details of
Renewed Passenger Service
Pan American Airways announced, on September 9, the details of its scheduled passneger service from Portsmouth, New Hampshire to Orlando/Sanford International Airport in Florida. Flights began on October 7, 1999. Dave Fink, President of Pan Am, has stated, “Pan Am’s return to scheduled service is an exciting milestone for the airline, and we intend to offer comfort unseen on other airlines and convenience unavailable at major airports.”
Flights from Portsmouth are departing at 8:30 AM and arriving at Orlando/Sanford at 11:10 AM. Return flights depart Orlando/Sanford at 1:20 PM and arrive Portsmouth at 4:00 PM. Dan Fortnam, Director of Marketing, said, “Our flight schedule to Orlando is designed to work with hotel check-in and check-out times and to accommodate travelers to the central Florida area.” Fares to Florida begin at $108 each way. Other destinations are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Dave Fink stressed that, “Pan Am wants to return some civility to passenger service just as the original airline did when it pioneered air travel with its original Clipper Service. Portsmouth will offer convenience and savings in the form of free parking close to the terminal, short walks to the gate, no long check-in lines, no long waits for baggage claim, no traffic and no chaos.” He added, Our departures from Portsmouth will be supported by our adjacent hangar and maintenance facilities. Passenger aircraft can be stored inside at night and during inclement weather, ensuring on-time performance. In addition, the lack of congestion at Portsmouth will eliminate delays associated with busier airports, such as gate availability, baggage loading, pushback and airborne holds of arriving aircraft.”
Orlando/Sanford International Airport is a 35-minute drive from Orlando’s popular attraction and is currently an active passenger facility, primarily servicing charter aircraft. Ground transportation at Orlando/Sanford includes on-field car rental, limousine, shuttle bus and taxi transportation to Orlando’s hotels and attractions.
The U. S. Department of Transportation granted Pan Am its preliminary approval to resume regularly scheduled passenger service in August of this year and this was finalized in early September by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Pan Am has opened its Reservations Center in the Portsmouth headquarters building. This facility is designed to provide the Pan Am traveler with a totally enjoyable flying experience through the use of a state-of-the-art internet-based computer reservations system developed especially for Pan Am. In addition to booking flights on Pan Am, the customer can obtain information on destinations and available services such as rental cars or public transportation.