GRAND FORKS – A survey sent out Friday aims to gauge the travel needs of area businesses as Grand Forks International Airport makes an “aggressive” effort to attract new commercial services.
The airport and the city of Grand Forks are conducting the study as they consider expanding the number of flights, destinations and even airlines to increase the amount of passengers flying in and out of Grand Forks.
“Ultimately, we want to improve air service to our community, and a big part of that is getting input from local and regional businesses about travel plans,” Grand Forks Region said Airport Authority Director Ryan Riesinger.
Mayor Brandon Bochenski’s Air Service Expansion Committee has identified business travel as a key measure to improve air travel from GFK.
Bochenski said this is because airlines consider business travel to be a more stable source of revenue than leisure travel.
“When you go to airlines and convince them to come here, that’s a big factor,” he says. “Business travel is consistent.”
Recent data shows that only 47% of Grand Forks area passengers fly from GFK, with the remainder typically choosing to fly from Fargo-Hector International Airport or Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Paul International Airport.
The survey asked companies about the number of trips their Grand Forks-area employees took in the past year, their spending on air travel, the airports they chose, and the airlines and travel markets they chose.
Riesinger said the airport is considering adding another travel hub or another airline, preferably a major airline, since low-cost carriers tend to cater to leisure travelers. Ta.
“(Companies) will tend to prefer network carriers like Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines because they offer the most options,” Riesinger said. .
He said the airport authority is in “ongoing discussions” with current major carrier Delta Air Lines about possible service expansion.
“They can add another hub. They can add more flights to Minneapolis,” Riesinger said. “We’re not ignoring existing airlines, because they certainly have more options now.”
Bochenski said he believes adding more routes from GFK to the West, whether through Delta or other airlines, is a key sign of success.
Joshua Irvine covers K-12 and higher education and the Grand Forks County Commission for the Grand Forks Herald. He joined the Herald in October 2023.