Southwest Airlines remained Austin’s largest carrier in May as Spirit Airlines ended service at Austin-Bergstrom. Nearly 2 million passengers flew through the airport during the month, up 3.3% from a year earlier.
Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman
Passenger traffic at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport surged in May, with growth driven largely by relatively large increases for several legacy domestic and international carriers.
During the month, 1,999,757 passengers flew through Austin, representing a 3.3% increase over a year earlier and a 10.6% increase over April. Year to date, 8,698,586 people have flown through Austin — an increase of 4.62% over the same period last year.
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Of the 20 airlines operating scheduled service at Austin-Bergstrom in May, 10 posted year-over-year gains and eight saw losses. Two new airlines also launched service at the airport in late May.
Among the “Big Four” U.S. carriers, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines continued to dominate, carrying 839,518 passengers for a year-over-year increase of 5.6%. No. 2 Delta Air Lines continued its steady growth, up 9.4% with 383,783 passengers.
United Airlines led growth at Austin-Bergstrom, hauling 257,442 passengers during the month for a year-over-year increase of 11.3%. United is the fourth-most-popular airline at AUS.
JetBlue Airways, though it hauled relatively few passengers compared to the airport’s top carriers, saw the most dramatic increase year over year, up 156%, according to data released Friday by the airport. The airline carried 20,952 passengers through the airport in May.
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North American airlines also saw notable increases in May. Mexican budget carrier Viva Aerobus recorded a 23% surge, hauling 4,310 passengers during the month. Panama’s flag carrier Copa Airlines transported 6,205 passengers — an increase of 18.2%. Air Canada passengers totaled 15,542, up 6.7%, and Aeroméxico posted a moderate gain, carrying 8,761 passengers for an increase of 3.6%.
British Airways led growth among long-haul carriers in Austin, transporting 28,855 passengers to and from London for an increase of 11.5% year over year. Lufthansa, the German flag carrier, served 9,879 passengers for an increase of 4.5%.
Other airlines experienced decreases over last May. Spirit Airlines’ traffic dropped 98.3%. The carrier operated only one day at Austin-Bergstrom during the month, hauling 642 passengers, before the company abruptly shuttered operations on May 2.
Spirit’s low-cost competitor, Allegiant Air, saw an 11.6% drop, carrying 7,863 passengers during the month. Sun Country Airlines, another low-cost airline, totaled 1,015 passengers, down 7.1%.
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American Airlines, still Austin’s No. 3 carrier, continued to scale back in the market. The Fort Worth-based airline flew 293,280 people through Austin, down 5.1% year over year. Alaska Airlines carried 59,412, down 4%, and Frontier Airlines carried 42,697 passengers, down 2.7%.
Among international carriers, Canada’s WestJet saw the largest percentage decrease with 1,347, down 29.8%. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines also saw a small drop in passengers, carrying 6,867 for a decrease of 1%.
Canada’s Porter Airlines and Caymanian flag carrier Cayman Airways both launched their first Texas service at Austin-Bergstrom in May. Porter carried 934 passengers to and from Toronto between May 21 and the end of the month. Cayman hauled 418 people between Austin and Georgetown during the month after seasonal service launched May 24.
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Cargo traffic was down 4.7% year over year. General aviation operations surged 12.9%, and total operations — including general, commercial and military aviation — rose 5.9%.