Las Vegas airport passenger traffic plunges 9.2% in August

Las Vegas airport passenger traffic fell 9.2 percent in August compared with the same month a year earlier, the Clark County Department of Aviation reported on Tuesday. Harry Reid International Airport recorded 4.1 million travelers for the month. Domestic arrivals and departures dropped 10.2 percent to 3.8 million, while international traffic rose 3.9 percent to 293,672 passengers. The August figures push the eight‑month total to 34.4 million passengers, a decline of 7.2 percent from the prior year. Over the first eight months, domestic traffic was down 7.2 percent to 31.6 million, and the overall number of international travelers slipped 7.1 percent to 2.2 million. Spirit Airlines ceased operations in May, reducing seat capacity in the Las Vegas market. Among the five major domestic carriers serving the airport, Frontier Airlines posted the strongest gain, increasing 35.3 percent to 436,475 passengers. Southwest Airlines, the market leader, fell 4.6 percent to 1.7 million passengers. Delta Air Lines declined 8.8 percent to 393,403 travelers, American Airlines slipped 1.6 percent to 345,363, and United Airlines edged up 1.8 percent to 359,742. On the international front, Eurowings surged 39.5 percent to 11,306 passengers and Air France grew 14.4 percent to 7,710. Air Canada and Mexican discount carrier Volaris recorded the highest international volumes for the period, with 42,986 passengers (up 38.6 percent) and 41,185 passengers (up 21.1 percent), respectively. WestJet, British Airways, KLM and Korean Air each reported fewer August passengers than they had a year ago. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is slated to release August visitation figures, and the Nevada Gaming Control Board will present gaming statistics on Wednesday.