New rental car agency coming to Sawyer

Sawyer International airport will now have a new rental car agency.

The Marquette County Board of Commissioners approved an agreement to add Hertz Rental Car, which brings the total number of agencies to five.

There has not been a new rental car agency in a few years, and the addition shows the economy at the airport is growing.

“We feel that it is a benefit for the airport, a benefit for our customer base and all in all it shows that the economy is slowly recovering and business is expanding,” Sawyer International Airport Manager Duane DuRay said. “All in all, good things are happening out at Sawyer.”

The board also approved higher terminal, gate, and landing fees that will bring some revenue to the airport.

Sawyer printed an airfare comparison chart that shows in most cases it is cheaper to fly from Marquette County to other destinations than other regional airports.

“It shows that Sawyer is able to compete with some of the neighboring airports (in Escanaba and Green Bay), and it shows that the airlines are very supportive of Sawyer because at the end of the day, they set the price and if they want to give us good fares that their choice,” DuRay said.  “We can ask, but it doesn’t always work.”

To look at the airfare comparison, click here.

Also on the agenda at the meeting, the board also approved new sheriff’s office vehicles, and signed a $1 million facade grant for the City of Ishpeming that will improve seven businesses downtown.