McCarran passenger traffic falls 1.3 percent in October

Passenger counts at McCarran International Airport fell 1.3 percent in October. More than 3.51 million passengers came through McCarran during the month, compared with more than 3.56 million passengers in the same month a year ago.

For the first 10 months of 2009, McCarran has seen passenger counts fall 9.4 percent over the period in 2008. Overall, McCarran has served more than 34.1 million passengers through October, compared with almost 37.7 million passengers for the first 10 months of last year.

Southwest Airlines, McCarran’s busiest air carrier, saw its passenger count increase 3.2 percent in October. Consequently, US Airway, the airport’s No. 2 airline, saw its passenger counts fall 31.4 percent in the month.

In October, US Airways announced it cutting its to and from Las Vegas by nearly half starting in February as part of an overall realignment by the Tempe, Ariz.-based carrier. The announcement was the second time in two years US Airways said it was cutting service in Las Vegas.

United Airlines and Delta Airlines both saw their passenger counts fall roughly 6 percent in October, but American Airlines, McCarran’s No. 5-ranked airlines, recorded a 7.7 percent increase in flyers during the month. McCarran has seen just one monthly passenger increase since October 2007.

Contact reporter Howard Stutz at hstutz@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3871.