Allegiant Air increases passenger traffic more than 20 percent in May

With the rest of the tourism industry in economic torpor, Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air just keeps gaining steam, increasing passenger traffic more than 20 percent in May.

The leisure-oriented airline that specializes in flights from small towns to Las Vegas, Arizona and Florida increased scheduled service 25.8 percent to 434,501 arrivals and departures.

It also managed to decrease average stage-length — the distance of a given flight — by 3.2 percent to 854 miles, which boosts profit potential through lower fuel costs and quicker turnarounds.

Allegiant's load factor, the percentage of full seats on a given flight, also surpassed 90 percent. Full flights also add to profitability.

Allegiant released the traffic numbers this morning.