After a year of "repurposing” resources and finding other sources of income, Air North officials say the future is looking good for the business.

"(There's) a very positive outlook for this year,” Allan Moore, the airline's chief operating officer, said in an interview Friday following Air North's annual general meeting Thursday night.

While he wouldn't get into specific numbers, he said the downturn in the economy last year served as a wake-up call for the company, showing that it would have to make changes to the business model.

In 2013, Kelowna was added as a stop on Air North's Vancouver route while this summer saw the airline begin service from Whitehorse to Yellowknife and Ottawa twice a week.

Moore said the Yellowknife/Ottawa route has started picking up after an initial slower period earlier in the summer when the route started.

With two national carriers offering service to and from Vancouver, Moore argued the current pricing range for flights is not sustainable and there may be a perception that the tickets reflect the true cost of service.

To add to its resource base, Air North has taken on other initiatives including being contracted to handle the luggage for United Airlines in Vancouver.

Moore noted that's seen the company hire an additional 150 staffers – a mix of part-time and full-time employees – in Vancouver for the job.

"It's gone exceptionally well,” Moore said of the arrangement.

Looking ahead to the coming year, Moore said the airline will continue looking at new ways to generate income and meet the needs of its passengers.

"You've got to be relevant to the people you're serving,” he said.

Many Air North customers were singing praises for the company earlier this month when it offered what many believe to be among the lowest fares the territory has seen in recent years over the solstice weekend at 50 per cent off the regular fares for travel between July 1 and Oct. 25.

Moore said the seat sale was better than expected with phone lines to the company jammed with customers booking travel when the sale was on.

In an earlier interview, Moore explained Air North had been in talks with the Yukon government on a strategy to boost the number of visitors to the territory.

While the company could have applied the deal exclusively to visitors from the Outside, Moore said given that most of the company's loyal customers are from the Yukon officials opted to "just do it for everybody.”

The sale saw a lot of response from southern Ontario and Yellowknife in addition to numerous Yukoners booking flights out.

Overall, Moore said, the company is doing well and he said he's pleased with the forward-looking prospects ahead.

By STEPHANIE WADDELL

Star Reporter