NEW BEDFORD -- A proposal to establish twice-daily flights from New Bedford Airport to Boston's Logan International Airport is in the works, said airport officials during a meeting with city councilors Wednesday.
Airport Manager Scot Servis said one of the airport's tenants has sent them a letter of intent, though they haven't made their official notice yet.
The proposal would mean two daily flights to Boston, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
He said people traveling on business or vacation could then get into the international terminal in Boston and board those flights.
State of the city: New Bedford Mayor Mitchell says offshore wind is 'here to stay' despite federal changes
Servis said airport officials have started the process with the federal Transportation Security Administration to re-federalize security at New Bedford Airport.
"In coming weeks, there will be something in front of the City Council for a transfer of money from one of our funds to another of our funds to try and help pay for that, because we have to do a new buildout for the new equipment that the TSA has changed," he said.
Miss them yet? These 10 SouthCoast restaurants are still fresh in memory.
Servis added, "But it does open a new opportunity for New Bedford Airport that we can start doing flights to Boston. Having the TSA checkpoint also helps us with trying to solicit new airlines, new service and getting new passengers through the building."
Assistant Airport Manager Michael Crane said it would be a year-round service. "The wonderful benefit to that would be to park in New Bedford, clear TSA with only a handful of other passengers, fly to Boston and you're already past security. So, you don't have to deal with Boston traffic or Boston TSA."
He declined to name the tenant because the official announcement hasn't been made yet.
Servis said there would be more details to follow once they make their official announcement.
Councilor Shawn Oliver said, "To be able to tap into the international system, that would be great. Just hop on, get in there and bypass security. Your car is still parked at home. There would be an agent there?"
Servis said, "It would be manned by the TSA when it's open. You can clear TSA there. I'd love for you to park at the airport for my revenue, but it's so close you can get dropped off by your neighbor for your trip. The ease of access is really the greatest sell of it.
"The price point they're talking about is about $90 per ticket," he added. "When you take into account how much you would pay to park in Boston and the aggravation and time it takes to get there, ultimately it is a savings."