The Town of Fort Frances and North Star Air are introducing “ticket-books,” a new method to pay airfare in bulk for discounted rates.
The partnership between the municipality and the Thunder Bay-based airline began in July, when the town followed the lead of Kenora, which had been working alongside North Star Air since mid-January 2026. The return of commercial flights in these areas filled a void left by Bearskin Airlines, which ceased regular passenger flights from Fort Frances, Dryden and Kenora in 2024.
Though convenient to save the drive and fly out, high ticket prices can cause this mode of travel to be inaccessible to many. The new ticket-book program is designed to help businesses and organizations save while guaranteeing revenue from flights.
“People can buy, say, 20 tickets for the whole year so that their employees can use them to fly and have those guaranteed seats booked ahead of time,” Sumantra Ghosh, Fort Frances’ economic development officer, told The Times.
“Basically, what we’re trying to do is get people to guarantee revenue,” he said. “It’s something to ensure bookings instead of just hoping that people book.”
The current prices for one-way tickets to and from Thunder Bay and Fort Frances are held at three different tiers, starting with the $450 Saver ticket, which is required to be booked at least seven days in advance.
The next tier up is the Thrift ticket, which is priced at $550. It requires booking only three days prior, instead of seven. Neither option is refundable after purchase, and there is an additional $50 fee for any changes or cancellations.
The final option is the Flex ticket, at $799. This option can be booked anytime, has refundability options and can be changed or cancelled without an additional fee.
However, with this program, organizations with personnel flying frequently can contact the town to find some reprieve on these costs.
“However many tickets they want, or depending on the size of the organization, they can buy them at a discounted price,” Ghosh said. “It’s something we’ll have to negotiate based on the volume of tickets.”
Ghosh said the town would ideally like to sell tickets in bulk, with the expectation that they would be used within a year. However, he added that flexibility on that timeline could be factored into pricing negotiations, depending on the circumstances.
“We can negotiate if they’d like something that’s indefinite, but ideally, we would like to do same calendar year, or at least from when they buy the tickets,” he said.
Although this program is being aimed at serving businesses and organizations that utilize North Star Air’s Thunder Bay-Fort Frances flights frequently, it is also available to members of the public who anticipate high ticket purchases and are looking to buy in bulk.
To inquire about the ticket-book program, contact Sumantra Ghosh with the Town of Fort Frances by emailing sghosh@fortfrances.ca or calling 807-274-5323, extension 1315.
