The airport in Portland, Maine, is called the Portland International Jetport (IATA code letters are PWM, for Portland-Westbrook Municipal). It’s “international” in that there are flights to Nova Scotia, but most flights are domestic, with popular destinations including New York, Washington, Chicago and Atlanta.
You can also fly within Maine from Portland — the New England Air Transport service links the Jetport with airports in Frenchville and Presque Isle, at the northern end of the state.
If you spend most of your time traveling in large metropolitan airports, you’ll find Portland’s small, but convenient, with relatively short walks between gates and plenty of parking near the terminal at reasonable rates. Security lines can be long, especially in the early morning on weekdays, so allow a little extra time to get through. I love flying out of Portland and often chose to do so even when I lived further away.
Portland takes airport security seriously because of an unfortunate connection to tragedy. On Sept. 10, 2001, two of the 9/11 terrorists came to Portland and spent the night in Maine. Mohamed Atta and Abdulaziz al-Omari embarked at PWM the next morning on their connecting flight to Boston (and thence into the World Trade Center).
Portland, like many airports, suffered a loss in traffic after the attacks, but today is bustling and growing. If you land in Portland, you’ll find taxis and rental cars available to take you to your next destination, or try the Portland Explorer shuttle, which takes you to local hotels, bus stations and the Amtrak station.
If you are shopping for the best plane fare, you will also want to compare flights from Boston’s Logan Airport and the airport in Manchester, N.H., which are both about 90 minutes away by car. For Boston, remember to factor in expensive parking costs. Airport Car Express provides a luxury limo service to and from the Portland Jetport at rates that compare favorably with most local taxi services and may in many cases provide the best transportation option.