Passenger traffic up 5 percent

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003 | 11:12 a.m.

Nearly 3 million people used McCarran International Airport in September, a 5 percent increase over the 2.8 million people who flew in and out of the Las Vegas airport in the same month a year ago.

After three quarters, McCarran passenger counts are up 2.5 percent over the 2002 pace at 27.1 million passengers, compared with 26.5 million people in the first nine months of 2002.

The September count also is 12.8 percent ahead of the September 2000 total of 2.6 million passengers in the most recent comparative month before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

All 15 of the domestic air carriers serving McCarran in September were ahead of their year-ago figures, with declines reported by international carriers Aeromexico, Japan Airlines and Singapore Airlines, which no longer flies to Las Vegas.

Among the top five carriers serving Las Vegas, Southwest reported 927,812 passengers, a 10.6 percent increase over the September 2002 total, and No. 2 America West reported 488,354 passengers, an 8.4 percent increase.

United Airlines reported 225,978 passengers, an 8.1 percent increase over the previous year.

No. 4 Delta Air Lines reported 214,644, a 17.9 percent increase. Delta's figures include totals from the airline's new Song Airways discount subsidiary, which has four round trips to and from Las Vegas.