Grand Forks International Airport shattered its previous passenger boarding record last year with close to 117,855, the airport reported Thursday.
That's 17 percent more than the 1992 record. In fact, the airport broke the record in early November.
Airport Director Patrick Dame said a combination of factors contributed, including more flights, new destinations and more Canadian passengers. More air service caused more local passengers to fly local instead of choosing other airports, he said.
And more passengers is the kind of data that could be used to lobby airlines for even more service, he said. One goal is to get service to Denver, he said, which is a hub for Frontier Airlines and United Airlines. Another, he said, is to get service to another leisure market, such as Orlando, Fla.
The Grand Forks airport has spent much of the past decade in the doldrums, with a low of 82,176 boardings in 2007. Boardings topped 90,000 only twice, in 2004 and 2009.
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The current upward trajectory began in late 2008 when low-cost carrier Allegiant Air came to town. Last year saw more changes as it was the first full year for Allegiant Air's service to Phoenix, which it added in November 2009, supplementing its Las Vegas service, and Delta Air Lines expanded to seven daily flights.
The U.S. dollar being at par with the Canadian dollar brought more passengers from Manitoba, Dame said.
Boardings also play an important role in federal formulas that determine how much funding airports get for facility improvement.
Reach Tran at (701) 780-1248; (800) 477-6572, ext. 248; or send e-mail to ttran@gfherald.com .
