Despite a tight economy, Sawyer airport had a successful summer
K.I. SAWYER -- The economy may have been struggling to get off the ground this summer, but the planes at Sawyer Airport were really taking off.
Just to give you an idea of how well the airport is doing, over 30,000 passengers walked through its gate doors this summer; almost a 13 percent increase from last summer.
Sawyer has made big improvements with grant money over the last decade. Those, along with the elimination of turbo-props, have led to the increased traffic.
"Regional jet service is by far number one," said airport manager Keith Kaspari. "Number two; we've continued a strong marketing campaign to promote the airport, and number three; I think the frequency of service to both the Detroit, Minneapolis, and Chicago goes well for our passengers."
Other U.P. airports haven't had such luck. Delta County Airport saw an 18 percent drop from last year's August passenger numbers, and Houghton County Airport saw a 12 percent drop. Many apparently travel to Sawyer or other larger airports for better rates or departure times.
"We're only a couple hours from either end of the U.P.," Kaspari said, "so we're an easy drive for easy access for the national air transportation system."
With continued success, Sawyer plans on making several more enhancements, including an improved passenger terminal and the addition of another airline with service to Lansing.
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