Thunder Bay Airport Reaches Record Passenger Volume in 2016

Thunder Bay International Airports Authority set an all-time passenger volume record in 2016 by exceeding the 807,000 passenger volume threshold, the Airport Authority says Thunder Bay Airport is poised to offer even more advantages to travelers.

“All three carriers flying to Toronto (Air Canada, Porter, WestJet) begin 2017 with their highest seating capacity ever,” according to the Airport Authority’s President and Chief Executive Officer Ed Schmidtke. “This competition makes reaching Toronto very affordable which in turn makes connections beyond Toronto to Europe very cost competitive.”

Last year saw a significant increase in the number of US residents flying to Europe from Thunder Bay. With as little as two weeks advance booking, major European destinations such as Rome, Paris and London are available for under $800 US and a total travel time of less than 12 hours.

Competitive prices are also available for travelers seeking some sun this winter. Sunwing Vacations and Air Transat Vacations offer direct, non-stop service to Cancun, Mexico and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. “Our research has found several weeks this winter where an all-inclusive price to the same resort was $500 less expensive from Thunder Bay than from Minneapolis,” according to Schmidtke.

Thunder Bay’s Manager of Tourism, Paul Pepe, sees additional benefits for travelers when choosing Thunder Bay Airport as their Getaway Gateway. “Our community’s growing accommodation and culinary arts sectors provide great experience and value for overnighting visitors,” explained Pepe. “Significant new and refreshed accommodation options along with numerous new restaurants offer variety and quality at all price points.”