As summer is fast approaching, we look at the popular Northern Michigan destination of Traverse City, MI (TVC), which has seen an increase in air traffic the past several years, with future airline growth and new routes very likely.
Future Airline Growth and New Routes to Traverse City Likely
Delta currently has the most seats out of Traverse City Cherry Capital Airport serving Detroit year-round, and Atlanta, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–LaGuardia seasonally. United flies to Chicago–O’Hare year-round, and Denver, Newark seasonally.
American Airlines has been growing their presence here to complement their year-round Chicago–O’Hare service by adding Dallas/Fort Worth last season, and New York (LGA) will be begin this summer.
As mentioned, American Airlines has announced they’ll be launching new service from New York (LGA) to Traverse City starting June 23, 2018.
When it comes to new airlines adding routes to Traverse City, two possible contenders could be Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways. I could see Southwest adding service to Chicago-Midway, and JetBlue Airways to Boston Logan International Airport.
What makes Traverse City such in demand? It’s located right on Lake Michigan, and has been drawing in more tourists every year as a premier summer destination. In fact, the airport has one of the highest cost per mile ticket prices, making these flights very profitable for airlines serving the city, which adds to why we can expect to see more service here.
Have you flown to Traverse City recently? What was your favorite part of visiting this city? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Photo Credits: PMM Reader Brett
Confirmed.
How weird…TVC isn’t exactly a popular destination in the grand scheme of things. Just this past summer I spent time in Glen Arbor (about 30 mins away) and had a wonderful time. Flew Virgin America LAX – ORD, spent a night in Chicago and then drove to Glen Arbor. Flew home TVC – MSP – LAX on Delta. TVC has like four gates so obviously it’s just a walk in the park.
Never heard of Traverse City. I thought this article was going to be about more routes going from one side of a city to another, like Newark to LaGuardia.
As an ex-Detroiter, it’s been sad to see the economic decline of much of the state of Michigan over the past 20 or so years. The Big Three auto companies can’t provide the level of support to the state that they once did. But the Traverse City area has been booming for quite a few years now. It is a very pleasant area to visit and tourists flock there, and nearby cities, for good reason.