THE WIND BENEATH FARGO'S WINGS

By LaurelLee Loftsgard Photography by Jill Ockhardt www.ockhardtphoto.com

When Martin Hector leased a quarter of land in 1927, who would’ve known that he was founding what has helped make Fargo/Moorhead the thriving and evergrowing community it is today.

The Hector International Airport is more than just the local airport that gets you to your vacation getaway―though that’s a plus. It’s also the largest business airport in North Dakota and is in the top 200 domestic airports in the country according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

In the 2013 calendar year, Executive Director Shawn Dobberstein said the flights with the highest number of passengers are to Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver and Orlando, which are all nonstop.

Hector airport has five airlines with nonstop service to 11 cities, and though some are seasonal, it plays a big part in the business the airport receives.

Don Morton, the Fargo site leader for Microsoft, said one of the flights they heavily use is the Salt Lake City nonstop addition.

“In 2001, Great Plains Software was bought by Microsoft and they continue to invest in our campus and continue to expand and grow themselves, and air services plays a part in that expansion,” Morton said.

Executive Director of the North Dakota Trade Office Dean Gorder said they focus a lot on the international aspect.

“It’s absolutely imperative that people from all of the world can easily access Fargo. The access is good enough now that wherever they’re at in the country, wherever they land inbound, they can get here in one good hop.” The U.S. Department of Transportation shows there are well over 100 international passengers per day.

Not only that, but the airport has had 22 record months in a row with 1,500 to 1,600 seats for sale per day and, on average, eighty percent of them are filled each day.

Though airline consolidations over the years have made fewer companies to meet with, that hasn’t stopped Dobberstein from working to provide as many flight options as possible.

“We’re constantly working on getting more flights to customers,” he said, and has had a lot of support from other businesses in the area.

One of those options is a nonstop flight to Seattle, which both Morton and Gorder are helping work on.

“From there you can go direct to Beijing or Shanghai and it reduces international travel time by several hours,” Gorder said.

He also added that when he first got active in this business, people would fly into Winnipeg or Minneapolis and drive, and you just don’t see that anymore.

Craig Whitney, President and CEO of the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce, said, “We have a lot of significant companies located here that rely heavily on the ability to have the type of choices offered with air travel at the airport.”

He also thinks Hector Airport plays a big role in more than just businesses.

“I believe it’s a tremendous part of the citizen retention and also others considering to move here knowing they have that type of access and coverage for a market this size.”

“We’re always looking to improve, especially with parking ramps and shuttles,” Dobberstein said, “it’s always a challenge, but a good one.”

One big improvement over the years is the airfare. In 1998, the U.S. Department of Transportation recorded that out of the top 150 airlines, Hector has the 3rd highest airfare, and last year, it was recorded as 62nd highest, much out of the top 10. On October 28 the airport celebrated its 30th year of providing service with United Airlines, and with Fargo-Moorhead still being the ever growing city it is, there may be many similar celebrations in the future.