Las Vegas airport passenger numbers off to strong start in 2019

Las Vegas’ airport kicked off the new year on a high note, seeing 3.9 million passengers travel through its gates in January.

The number represents a 3.3 percent year-over-year increase over January 2018’s 3.8 million travelers passing through McCarran International Airport, the Clark County Department of Aviation reported Wednesday.

The increase follows on the heels of the busiest year in McCarran’s 70-year history, with the airport seeing 49.7 million passengers in 2018. It marked the second-straight year McCarran set a passenger record, as 2017’s 48.5 million bested the previous high of 47.7 million set in 2007.

January is a busy month for conventions and trade shows as large ones such as CES and SHOT Show took place, which likely helped drive passenger counts. The front end of Super Bowl traffic, which took place Feb. 3 in Atlanta, also could have played a part in the increase, as droves of football fans flock to Las Vegas to enjoy the big game, according to Christine Crews, McCarran spokesperson.

Spirit Airlines saw an increase of 25.8 percent year-over-year, going from 277,348 passengers in January 2018, to 349,029, while United Airlines saw an 18 percent increase in January with 320,195 passengers this year compared to 271,320 during the same month in 2018.

Low-cost carriers Allegiant Air and JetBlue saw passenger counts decrease to kick off 2019. JetBlue saw a 22 percent decrease with 81,394 passengers, down from 104,600 in January 2018 and Allegiant saw a 10.3 percent decline year-over-year, with 165,832 passengers last month compared to 184,898 in January of last year.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.