RSSAirline traffic steady, despite industry woes
Heat rising from the runway makes a United Express regional jet carrying both United and Continental passengers from Denver appear to shimmer as the aircraft touchs down at Grand Junction Regional Airport.
Commercial passenger traffic at Grand Junction Regional Airport held steady in 2011, something airport officials consider a victory in the face of the airline industry’s ongoing struggles with high fuel prices.
A total of 222,096 passengers flew out of the airport, 270 more than last year, according to airport data. Although last year’s increase was minute, it marked the eighth time in the last nine years that enplanements have grown at the airport.
“Really, considering overall what’s going on in the airline industry with the airlines continuing to reduce seats and airfares on the rise, we’re pretty happy,” Director of Aviation Rex Tippetts said.
The airport saw a bump in boardings through American Eagle’s decision to add a third daily flight from Grand Junction to Dallas in February and the May launch of Continental Airlines’ twice-daily service to Houston. But that spike was offset by Allegiant Airlines suspending service from Grand Junction to Los Angeles between the end of August and mid-December and United Airlines losing some of its Denver-bound passengers to Continental’s Houston route.
Tippetts said he doesn’t expect to know until the spring whether Allegiant will again suspend flights to Los Angeles.
Three of the six passenger carriers experienced a decline in traffic in 2011 compared with 2010.
United continues to lead the way with 75,935 passengers, although that was down 16 percent compared with 2010.
American Eagle ranked second with 33,557 passengers, up 9 percent from 2010.
U.S. Airways and its Phoenix flight ranked third with 33,156, which was up 15 percent. Delta and its Salt Lake City flight ranked fourth with 31,588, an 18 percent drop from 2010. Allegiant ranked fifth with 25,825, a 9 percent decline from 2010.
Continental, with eight months of passenger traffic, flew 16,506 people to Houston last year.
Rental-car companies pulled in more than $7.5 million in revenue, a 3 percent uptick compared with 2010, according to airport figures.
A total of 9.8 million pounds of freight came into the airport last year, 3 percent more than 2010. The 4.6 million pounds of freight that left the airport was off nearly 6 percent off from two years ago.
Business and leisure travelers should expect service this year to look much as it did last year.
After gradually adding new destinations and seats on existing routes—while also losing daily Frontier Airlines service to Denver—the last few years, Tippetts said he expects things to remain in a holding pattern. He said airport officials constantly monitor passenger destinations to determine whether it’s possible to add new direct flights. But with fuel hovering around $100 a barrel and airfares on the rise, don’t expect airliners to grow soon, he said.
“We’re kind of watching,” he said. “We look at our top 25 markets all the time, look at what’s viable and what’s not, but until the airlines are in that mode to expand, we don’t expect anything to happen.”
The airport expects to spend roughly $2 million this year on ongoing environmental assessments for a new runway and construction of a new office building likely to the east of the terminal. The new building, which will house airport administration, is the first phase of a project to replace the terminal.
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