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Passenger Traffic at Lindbergh Flew In a Holding Pattern for Most of ’06

Following two years of healthy increases in passenger traffic , 6.1 percent in 2005 and 7.3 percent in 2004, Lindbergh Field is likely to post a flat result for the current year.

But the downtown airport isn’t flying solo. A spike in fuel prices, which prompted airlines to cut back on capacity, have resulted in sluggish volumes at major airports all across the country.

“Our numbers are similar to the national trend,” said Diana Lucero, a spokeswoman for the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.

According to the agency’s most recent air traffic report, the year-to-date tally of passengers flying in and out of Lindbergh stood at 13.2 million, up 0.2 percent , basically flat , from January through September, compared to the like year-ago period.

Aircraft operations, or takeoffs and landings, were up 0.7 percent during the first nine months of this year versus the same time frame in 2005.

Lucero said sources also told her that airfares, which increased this year, contributed to the results.

In 2001, the year of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Lindbergh Field counted 15.2 million passengers coming and going. In 2002, the count dropped to 14.9 million.

The U.S. Department of Transportation reported Oct. 25 that fares nationwide rose 19.3 percent in the second quarter this year compared with the same quarter of 2005, marking the highest level since the agency began tracking the numbers in 1995.

During the first seven months of this year, passenger volume was up a mere 0.5 percent from the first seven months of last year, according to the DOT.

Between January and July, the report showed, American Airlines tallied 58.7 million passengers, the most of any airline in the country. Low-fare airline Southwest, which has the lion’s share of the passenger market at Lindbergh Field, ranked second with 56.1 million passengers nationwide.

The busiest U.S. airport during that period was Atlanta International, where 24 million people boarded planes. Chicago O’Hare was second with 20.3 million, Dallas-Fort Worth was third with 16.8 million and Los Angeles International fourth with 13.5 million.

Lindbergh Field, which logged 5 million passengers boarding flights in the first seven months of this year, was not among the top 10 busiest airports in the DOT ranking. However, it’s considered the busiest single runway airport in the country.


Marine Corps Holding Its Ground

An advisory ballot measure facing local residents in the Nov. 7 election will ask voters if they want to eventually see San Diego International Airport moved from its cramped downtown quarters to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. But the question, many say, is moot since the military owns the base and has stated repeatedly that it isn’t giving it up.

“The airlines were frugal when fuel prices rose,” said Paul Haney, deputy executive director of airports and security for Los Angeles World Airports. “More flights would have meant more seats, but traffic remained flat. As fuel prices subside, capacity may increase.”

From January through September, the total passenger count at Los Angeles International was off by 1 percent, according to a report by Los Angeles World Airports.


San Diego, A Drive-To Destination

Meanwhile, a report from Smith Travel Research shows that hotel lobbies across the country aren’t seeing much more traffic than they did last year.

Occupancy rates nationwide for the first nine months stood at 65.2 percent, up 1 percent from the like period in 2005.

But San Diego County’s lodging industry, which relies heavily on people who drive by car from nearby Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson, Ariz., and Las Vegas to fill rooms, experienced a 1.4 percent bump in occupancy to reach 76.4 percent, according to the researcher.

Smith Travel ranked San Diego County in third place among the top 25 destinations in the nation. Pretty good, considering that New York City was second with 82.2 percent and Honolulu was first with 84.7 percent.

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