A total of 30,686 revenue passengers boarded flights at the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport last year.
“We were over the moon. We were elated,” said Airport Director Matthew Leitner. “If you multiply that by two, which is to say those boarding and deplaning, that's over 60,000 people. To put that in perspective, in terms of Wisconsin, we're at about two thirds of the volume of La Crosse.”
The numbers mark an 18 year high for the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport.
Leitner attributes the rise to a number of factors.
“We've got a burgeoning regional economy, local economy. A lot of people are discovering or re-experiencing the recreational opportunity that abounds around here, and it's just a very, very popular destination,” said Leitner. “It's a great place to live. It has a very high quality of life. I think that's becoming more and more known as the years go on.”
Along with the increase in passengers in recent years has come in increase in the number of places people are coming from.
While years ago, the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport leaned more towards a regional airport, its now getting people with flight originating in from Atlanta, Seattle, or Florida, with Phoenix and Denver taking the top two spots.
“Now it seems like we're much more of a national and even international destination, especially when it comes to the summer camps,” said Leitner.
The additional flights between Chicago and Rhinelander last summer through United also attributed to the increased passenger volume. Leitner says they’re see strengthening volume in the winter and shoulder seasons as well.
“One thing we've noticed in terms of marketing data over the past eight years, is there are a lot of small startups, and that was expedited during COVID, which say that someone, probably a consultant, starts a business locally, and then with the broadband connection, is able to conduct most of their business online, and then flies periodically to various places. In the winter, we're seeing a lot of that activity or have over the last few years,” said Leitner.
Leitner expects the seasonal United flights to Chicago will be returning this summer.
