Thunder Bay Airport sees more U.S. travellers in 2016

Thunder Bay's Airport says it has seen more travellers from the United States pass through its gates this year, than in the past 15 years.

"We think it's partially a function of the dollar," said Ed Schmidtke, the president and CEO of the Thunder Bay International Airports Authority. He said the airport has also been targeting American travellers to make the trip north, before heading overseas.

"Marketing into the northern U.S., making the point that it is cheaper and faster to fly from Thunder Bay to Europe over Chicago or Minneapolis," he said.

European-bound travellers flying out of Thunder Bay have to connect through Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Both major Canadian carriers — Air Canada and Westjet — have very good connections to their European destinations — better than those offered by the U.S. legacy carriers, Schmidtke said.

"A European traveller, an international traveller is of significant value to international airlines," he continued.

"Anybody that can offer that kind of connectivity from the smaller secondary markets like a Duluth or a Thunder Bay into their European network, is of tremendous value."

Schmidtke said the airport mainly uses anecdotal information on where its customers are coming from. 

"We'll track the number of US licence plates in our parking lot on a weekly basis," he said.

"We'll make a point, if we see a U.S. traveller and U.S. plates, we'll stop and talk to those people, and ask what's bringing them to Thunder Bay."