PIT Airport Passenger Traffic Report for February and March 2008

PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PASSENGER TRAFFIC REPORT FOR FEBRUARY AND MARCH 2008

• March: Ten airlines report increased traffic
• March: AirTran traffic up 66 percent for month; 53% over 2007
• February: AirTran up by 66 percent
• February: Six airlines report increased traffic of more than 20 percent
• February: Nine airlines report overall increases

PITTSBURGH, PA (April 11, 2008) – Ten of the 13 airlines at PIT (www.FlyPittsburgh.com) showed an increase in passenger traffic in March 2008, with eight of those airlines reporting increases of more than 13 percent, according to the March 2008 Scheduled Airline Traffic Report prepared by the Allegheny County Airport Authority.

Atlanta-based AirTran Airways and Southwest Airlines led the gainers. For the second consecutive month AirTran’s traffic increased more than 66% in March 2008 compared to March 2007 (54,991 passengers in March 2008/33,064 passengers in March 2007; 66.3 percent increase). In February 2008, AirTran posted a 66.2% increase compared to February 2007. The increase in traffic placed AirTran as the fifth busiest airline at Pittsburgh International Airport.

Southwest Airlines led all carriers in terms of total increase in number of passengers. The Texas-based airline reported 29,312 more passengers in March 2008 compared to March 2007, for a total increase of 27.8% (134,569/105,257).

AirTran launched new non-stop flights to Ft. Myers, Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa. Southwest had added service to Baltimore and increased some of its flights to Florida over the course of the year.

“AirTran was the first of the current, low cost carriers at Pittsburgh International Airport and Southwest’s presence has helped stimulate competition and regional travel,” said Bradley D. Penrod, Allegheny County Airport Authority Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer. “The factors that help us achieve continued success are by offering more airline choices and lower, competitive fares. The increases reported today are evidence that the public is responding to the changes.”

Other airlines reporting increases of more than 13 percent were:

• United (67,762/59,529; 13.8%)
• Continental (46,040/39,159; 17.6%)
• USA3000 (20,911/13,734; 52.3%)
• Midwest (10,073/7,850; 28.3%)
• Air Canada (3,263/2,369; 37.7%)
• Myrtle Beach Direct (1,588/1,101; 44.2%)

Delta (86,658/82,308; 5.3%) and Northwest (42,033/41,794; 0.6%) also reported increases in traffic.

A total of 779,921 scheduled passengers were enplaned and deplaned at the airport in March 2008, an 8.7% decrease compared to March 2007 (779,921 passengers in March 2008/854,663 passengers in March 2007; 8.7 percent decrease). American (37,044/40,398; -8.3%) and JetBlue (18,252/21,217; -14.0 %) reported a decrease in traffic.

Year-to-date figures show traffic behind the pace of 2007. Through the first three months of 2008, traffic is 8.2% lower than the same time period in 2007 (2,060,336/2,244,258; -8.2%).

Excluding US Airways, the 12 other airlines serving Pittsburgh International Airport reported a combined 16.8% growth in traffic in March 2008 (523,184/447,780; 16.8%) and have shown an 18.4% increase through the first three months of 2008 (1,345,561/1,136,361; 18.4%).

March 2008 Scheduled Traffic at PIT

2008 Year-to-Date Scheduled Traffic at PIT

FEB 2008

Nine airlines at PIT (www.FlyPittsburgh.com) showed an increase in passenger traffic in February 2008, with six of those airlines reporting increases of more than 20 percent, according to the February 2008 Scheduled Airline Traffic Report, prepared by the Allegheny County Airport Authority.

Leading the gainers were AirTran and Southwest airlines. AirTran reported a 66.2% increase in February 2008 compared to February 2007 (40,077 passengers in 2008; 24,117 passengers in 2007; 66.2% increase). The successful month made AirTran the fifth busiest (of 13) carriers at the airport. Meanwhile, Southwest gained more than 25,000 passengers in February 2008 as it had a 35.4% increase in traffic (102,755/75,892; 35.4%).

In addition to AirTran’s and Southwest’s increases, four other airlines reported gains that were in excess of 20%. They were: Delta (74,923/56,094; 33.6%); USA3000 (18,548/10,644; 74.3%); Midwest (6,244/5,107; 22.3%); and Air Canada (2,850/1,869; 52.5%). Other airlines that reported increases included United (52,315/46,769; 11.9%); Continental (36,660/33,486; 9.5%); and Northwest (36,401/34,820; 4.5%).

A total of 637,863 scheduled passengers were enplaned and deplaned at the airport in February 2008, a 6.0% decrease compared to February 2007 (637,863/678,506; 6.0% decrease).

American (31,244/31,735; 1.5% decrease) and JetBlue (14,693/14,720; 0.2% decrease) reported losses in traffic. However, all airlines other than US Airways show a combined increase of 24.3% (416,710/335,253).

Feb. 2008 Scheduled Traffic at PIT

PIT Airport Statistics:

February 2008 Stats

March 2008 Stats