One concrete way to gauge the success of the Sioux Falls Regional Airport is to assess the trends.

Airport Assistant Director Richard King told KSOO News that more Sioux Falls residents are finding the value in flying out of their home base.

“Back in a 2009 study, we saw a 50 percent range of leakage. People left Sioux Falls to fly out of Omaha and Minneapolis. We would even lose folks to Sioux City and Fargo. We have since dropped to the vicinity of 19 percent as of a year and a half ago.”

Passengers are coming through the turnstiles in record numbers and King is hoping the strong pace continues.

“Last year we saw for the first time ever a million passengers through the terminal. We keep waiting for those numbers to even out a little. This year from January to July we’re up 5.7 percent again.”

In a way success can build upon itself as Frontier Airlines expands its offerings to additional markets which King believes can keep fares competitive among other carriers.

Overall King admits that the easier path is expanding service with existing carriers and locations than forging new partnerships.


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