Traffic at McCarran drops 11.5 percent in May
About 3.5 million passengers arrived and departed at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas during May, an 11.5 percent decrease from the previous year.
US Airways paced the double-digit decline, falling 30.6 percent to 450,738 arrivals and departures on the month. The airline is still the second most prolific carrier at McCarran, after Southwest, but has been in free fall for months, shedding seats and employees in the Las Vegas market.
The Clark County Department of Aviation released May traffic results this afternoon. United took the second-biggest dive, by percentage, falling 16.6 percent to 242,330 arrivals and departures. Delta was down 8 percent to 192,645.
Southwest, which is responsible for about one-third of the traffic at McCarran, fell 4.6 percent to 1.4 million arrivals and departures.
Among top five McCarran carriers only American increased. The airline grew arrivals and departures 3.5 percent to 199,198.
Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air, the seventh-place McCarran carrier by volume, also increased its traffic in May. Allegiant grew arrival and departures 10.8 percent to 159,230.
On the international side, Air Canada traffic fell 6.5 percent to 43,442. Virgin Atlantic increased traffic 5.2 percent to 26,344.
Mexicana fell 39.1 percent to 12,083 arrivals and departures.
The May decline was in line with the previous months this year. So far in 2009, passenger traffic at McCarran is down 11.9 percent to 16.8 million arrivals and departures.
Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861.
