To the editor:
I have just finished reading the February issue of Working Waterfront and I write in response to the article about Penobscot Island Air and its owner Kevin Waters.
Mr. Roland Lussier, who owns Maine Atlantic Aviation, was quoted as saying “…there’s a sense of entitlement to daily air service that exists with the 20-odd people who live on Matinicus year round.” I wonder how Mr. Lussier meant the word “odd.”
Could it be that he thinks a person must be “odd” to live year-round on the island?
I know firsthand that islanders, and summer home owners as well, consider it “odd” that Maine Atlantic Aviation ceased operation with absolutely no warning when the owner knew full well that the island people depended upon the company’s service to carry groceries, general freight, mail and especially to be available for medical emergencies. Air service to Matinicus has been in operation since the early 1960s and NEVER has an owner discontinued flights. It is a matter of record that in the past some owners/pilots have even made middle-of-the-night trips to carry injured or ill islanders to a mainland hospital. My husband was airlifted on just such a trip. Island residents do not consider the air service an “entitlement.” They consider it a necessity for which they are sincerely grateful.
Full-time residents, summer home owners and seasonal visitors united in December to raise over $18,000 in private, non-returnable funds to give a boost to Kevin Waters and his new company. My husband and I are proud to be associated with the “20-odd” people who live on Matinicus year-round and we support Penobscot Island Air and wish the owner, pilots and staff much success.
Margaret V. Maloney
Bluffton, SC, and Matinicus