While admitting it’s a challenge, a flight to Boston or New York out of Saint John is a big priority for the airport this year according to Angela McLean, Vice-President of Airport Operations.
Passenger numbers at the airport are at an all time high in spite of the downturn in the Alberta economy. McLean admits there were fears the numbers would drop because of what’s happening in the Alberta oil patch.
McLean notes there are a lot of people from the region who drive to Bangor and Portland for flights so she believes there’s an opportunity to get them to fly out of Saint John instead if there was a flight available.
The airport says it’s not going after Westjet or Porter Airlines because the relationship with Air Canada has improved so much.
