LEXINGTON, MA ??” Linear Air, a premier air-taxi service that is transforming the private air travel industry, today announced that it is launching service to ski country in northern New England and eastern Canada, opening up service to thousands of avid and recreational skiers.

Meanwhile, at the Boston Globe SnowSports Expo 2004 beginning this Thursday at the Bayside Expo Center, Linear Air (Booth E18) will launch a sweepstakes offering entrants the chance to win free air travel to ski country.

With the new service, skiers can share a private charter to a multitude of ski destinations: Sunday River Ski Resort in Bethel, Maine; Killington, Pico or Okemo Mountain Resort in Rutland, Vermont; or Attitash Bear Peak near North Conway, New Hampshire. Private charter service is available to destinations throughout eastern Canada, including Mont Tremblant ski area near Montreal. The Canadian service is made possible since Linear Air recently received certification to begin commercial air service to Canada.

“There is now an affordable alternative to four hours or more of winter driving to get to ski country,” said William Herp, president and CEO of Linear Air. “By flying in Linear Air’s spacious Cessna Grand Caravan, passengers will have an easy, comfortable 45-minute flight out of Hanscom Airport in Bedford, Massachusetts.”

A variety of ground transportation alternatives are available in ski country, including, at Sunday River, a free shuttle operated by the town of Bethel.

Herp noted that passengers can make reservations via Linear Air’s proprietary web-based scheduling system. All flights are operated on a shared charter basis and on-demand as expressed by Linear Air customers. All departure times are proposed and not scheduled.

“One of the most unique aspects of the system is that skiers can propose different departure times if the times listed on our web site are not convenient,” said Herp.

One-way tickets from Hanscom Field to Killington, Pico, Okemo and Attitash Bear Peak are priced at $169. Service to Sunday River Resort is $189 one way. “We anticipate a significant amount of volume to Killington and Sunday River, which are tremendously popular ski destinations,” said Herp.

Through Linear Air’s marketing partnership with American Skiing Company, owners of Killington and Sunday River, it is offering those who visit www.linearair.com the opportunity to win free airfare to ski country.

Passengers are afforded the luxury of avoiding long lines at commercial airports and receive highly personalized service. Passengers drive right up to the airplane, are given free valet parking at the private Jet Aviation terminal at Hanscom and board the eight-seat Cessna Grand Caravan seconds after pulling up.

The service is the latest in a series of announcements for the company, which launched earlier this year. In September, Linear Air announced business service to Teterboro Airport in northern New Jersey just outside New York City. This followed the company’s inauguration of service to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket in August, and its launch of charter service to more than 200 cities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.