Voice of Business Blog

Traveling to and from Greater Rochester is convenient and accessible, thanks to the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport. For two years in a row, ROC has been named one of the 10 best small airports by USA Today, and with over 30,000 seats per week on non-stop flights to 20 locations and countless more destinations world-wide being reached through connections, this world-class airport serves as a gateway to the region, providing residents and visitors with seamless access to the world and beyond. Now, the airport is looking to expand to offer more options for passengers, and it needs the support of the community behind them to make it happen.

Did you know that each year, over 160,000 people leave the Greater Rochester region to travel through airports besides ROC? Every time a Greater Rochester resident drives to Buffalo, Syracuse, Toronto, New York City, or anywhere else to catch a flight, airlines are less likely to bring non-stop routes to our airport.

Keep reading to hear three reasons to book your flights out of ROC to drive demand, grow ROC, and shape the future of our region’s airport:

• Drive Demand in Greater ROC
  19% of customers who are closest to Greater ROC go out of their way to use a different airport, including BUF, SYR, YYZ, JFK, and more - this amounts to over 160,000 people annually. In order to secure more direct flights, Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport needs our community to come together and demonstrate demand for business and leisure travel from our region. With each flight booked out of a different airport instead of ROC, airlines have one less reason to serve our region with better routes.
• Access Top Underserved Destinations
  The Greater Rochester region is by far the largest unserved market for flights to Denver, CO, and for flights to Dallas/Fort Worth, TX. Our airport team is working hard to secure flights to these markets, and needs the community’s support to show airlines the business case for creating these new routes. Prior to Southwest’s new route that began in October, Las Vegas was the second-largest unserved destination out of Rochester and Rochester was the largest unserved domestic market for Las Vegas. Here in Greater Rochester, we see the needs, and we need to continue to demonstrate it to airlines. Community support for routes are critical to get additional new routes off the ground to these destinations and other key locations including Minneapolis, Nashville, Charleston, and Southwest Florida.

• Grow Greater Rochester’s Economy
  Additional non-stop flights out of Rochester isn’t just more convenient for personal and business travel, but will have an additional economic impact that is felt throughout the region. When the Greater Rochester region is more accessible, tourism will increase, and the economy will grow as businesses and customers can more easily reach each other to connect. A 2015 study showed that the number of destinations served by non-stop flights has a statistically significant positive impact on the total number of jobs, business establishments, and average wages.

Over 2.6 million people traveled through the ROC Airport in 2023, which is the highest passenger volume out of ROC in over 15 years. The ROC airport can’t advocate for additional air service, without demonstrable support and commitment to utilize from the region’s residents. It is truly a partnership by all stakeholders. When ROC wins, we all win.