Airport Check-in: Buffalo and Vermont airports set records
— -- FACTS AND FIGURES
Buffalo Niagara International and Vermont's Burlington International each reported all-time passenger records in 2008. Officials at both airports credit a growing number of Canadian travelers as well as expansion by low-cost carriers such as JetBlue, Southwest and AirTran.
The 2008 passenger count at Buffalo was 5.5 million, up 3.5% over 2007. It was the airport's fifth-consecutive record-setting year.
Douglas Hartmayer, spokesman for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, which operates the Buffalo airport, estimates that a third of the airport's passengers come from Canada, drawn by lower fares out of Buffalo. Buffalo Niagara is about a 15-mile drive from the Ontario border and about 110 miles from Toronto, Canada's largest city.
At Burlington, a record 759,021 passengers boarded flights last year at Vermont's busiest airport. Like Buffalo, the airport has benefited from a steady flow of Canadian fliers and the presence of low-cost carriers. Burlington is just over 100 miles from Montreal.
Brian Searles, director of aviation of Burlington International, says the Canadian market "has always been part of our base," but has seen a major uptick recently: "Depending on the season, it appears that Canadian travel is now between 40% and 50% of our business."
ROUTE NEWS
Super expansion
At least five airlines have plans to add flights or boost capacity to the Tampa Bay area for Super Bowl XLIII, where the Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the Arizona Cardinals.
From Pittsburgh, JetBlue will add non-stop flights to Tampa, a route it currently serves only with connecting service, with two southbound non-stops prior to the Super Bowl and two return flights on Feb. 2, the day after the game.
Southwest, which already has non-stop service between the two cities, will add a flight in each direction.
Two small leisure carriers — Direct Air and USA 3000 — also will add special Super Bowl service from Pittsburgh, with each adding one round-trip flight to the Tampa Bay area.
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