A 3.9 percent increase in passengers at McCarran International Airport in November virtually assures the nation’s eighth-busiest airport will serve more than 40 million passengers this year — a benchmark offering further evidence of the Las Vegas tourism industry’s recovery.
McCarran officials reported this morning that 3.3 million passengers passed through the airport’s gates in November, resulting in an 11-month total of 38.3 million for the year, 4.4 percent ahead of 2010’s pace.
It was 2010 when passenger volume at McCarran dipped below the 40 million mark for the first time in six years. That level was first eclipsed in 2004 when 41.4 million passengers arrived and departed, and volume peaked in 2007 with 47.7 million.
While December passenger counts lag other months because there are fewer conventions, healthy holiday travel and strong performances for three special events — the National Finals Rodeo, NASCAR Championship Week and the Las Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon — should push passengers counts above the 1.7 million needed to hit 40 million. Normally, December traffic counts come in at 2.7 million to 3 million.
Of the large domestic carriers serving McCarran, only two are on pace to carry fewer passengers to Las Vegas in 2011 than last year.
Delta Air Lines, which has 11.8 percent fewer seats coming into the market now than it did a year ago, was down 1.4 percent at the end of November. The blended United and Continental is down 10 percent from a year ago while the merged carriers adjust their schedules. By McCarran’s count, United is down 21.9 percent and Continental is up 6.1 percent through 11 months.
McCarran passenger statistics continue to be dominated by Southwest Airlines, which has a 44 percent market share and has brought 14.7 million passengers to and from Las Vegas in 2011, up 1.7 percent for the year. Southwest was flat in November, with 1.27 million passengers.
The merged United and Continental is the No. 2 carrier at McCarran, followed by Delta, American, US Airways and Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air.
International traffic continued to shine in November, with foreign arrivals and departures up 28.9 percent to 238,705 passengers. Only Canada’s Sunwing and Philippine Airlines showed passenger declines in November compared with a year ago.