Vermont Ski Areas Association president Parker Riehle said that about 2,000 people flew the Toronto-Burlington route on Porter last winter, then a new route for the airline, and that 80 percent of them were resort visitors. This year’s overall numbers could be significantly higher: Porter will have four flights a week—double last year’s schedule—from mid-December until early April.

To promote the flights, the state is spending $100,000 on advertising. The four areas, Sugarbush, Stowe, Smugglers’ Notch and Jay Peak, are contributing $50,000 to the effort as well.