While a weak Canadian dollar has caused some angst in the hospitality area in region, competitive air fare has provided some measurable success, as demonstrated by a decision announced by WestJet on Monday to add flights from Toronto into the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. The airline will now have flights from Toronto Pearson International Airport to SRQ airport and back three times a week—on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays—through April 29 this year. Tuesday service starts on Feb. 23. “It’s really good to see that an airline that has only been in the market now for about two months is already increasing their service," said Rick Piccolo, president and CEO for SRQ airport. “It’s a good signal of how well they are doing.” 

The announcement comes after some fear in hospitality circles that an underperforming Canadian dollar would lead to reduced travel to destinations in the United States; the Canadian dollar as of Monday evening was valued at just 72 U.S. cents. But WestJet has reported strong profits even amid concerns. Just last week, the Toronto Stock Exchange approved WestJet to maximize the number of shares the company is authorized to purchase next year. “Notwithstanding the impact that recent economic weakness in Alberta has had on our results, our decision to increase our normal course issuer bid demonstrates our confidence in WestJet's proven business model and the financial strength of our airline," said WestJet President and CEO Gregg Saretsky. The company in 2015 announced record full-year net earnings of $367.5 million, up 16 percent from 2014.

In terms of traffic to SRQ airport from Toronto, Piccolo said that while many feared travelers would have diminished buying power for travel, airlines in Canada have responded by offering more competitive fare. This particular flight also enjoys attention from Americans living near Toronto who have found it’s worth crossing the border to buy flights at low rates, made lower based on the strength of the American dollar. “And of course this makes it attractive to go to Canada,” he said, noting that filling flights northward out of Sarasota helps to justify WestJet adding more flights.

Internationally, Piccolo said the airport remains attentive about how the U.S. dollar sits relative to all international currency. “We think things look pretty good,” he says. Traffic at SRQ airport overall was up 2 percent in 2015, including December traffic that was 6.3 percent higher than in December 2014. January numbers have not been released yet, but Piccolo expects to hear soon that flights were up approximately 5 percent in the first month of 2016.