What others think:: Increased boardings are a bit of good news

We’re certainly happy to see the number of airline boardings at the state’s airports have been on the rise in 2008, even if most of the increase has been happening in Fargo.

The state saw an increase of 8 percent compared to last year. Minot’s boardings were up 4 percent from June 2007. Fargo, meanwhile, saw the most significant jump in boardings with a 17 percent hike. That could be attributed to Frontier Airlines beginning service in Fargo.

Much of Minot’s increase could likely be traced back to increased activity in the oil industry, which is still on the rise in the western portion of the state. Minot airport officials also report an increase in corporate jet traffic locally, which, again, could be linked to oil company activity.

It all adds up to sending a strong signal to regional airlines such as Frontier that if they provide flights to cities, their service will get used. Fargo is proof of that, but we still think Frontier would benefit from adding jet service to Minot. With the oil field activity expanding all the time, we would expect Frontier flights between here and Denver to be used frequently. Whatever the reason for the increased boardings, it’s good news indeed.

Tags: airlines, airports