Passenger traffic climbs at airport

United's return helps lift numbers, Peek says

Passenger traffic at Huntsville International Airport climbed nearly 15 percent in August, with 111,653 travelers flying into and out of the airport last month.

"We haven't seen that kind of growth for at least two years," said Rick Tucker, the airport's executive director. "The community is growing and we're offering more services" for air travelers.

United Airlines returned this year with direct flights to Denver International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.

"When United came in the market (with the Dulles and Denver flights), it brought in 5,000 seats a month," said Barbie Peek, the airport's marketing director.

"Our fares were competitive through the summer months," Peek said.

Tucker expects even greater growth in the traffic count in the next few months. The number of passengers this year through August was 815,545.

"We're opening up new venues for our passengers," he said.

Delta Air Lines started weekday nonstop service to LaGuardia Airport on Sept. 6. This Friday, low-fare Allegiant Air starts direct flights between Huntsville and Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport, operating on Mondays and Fridays. Allegiant will also fly nonstop to Orlando, three days a week, starting Nov. 8.

The airport launched an S.O.S. (show our support) campaign to encourage Allegiant to provide nonstop service to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. So far, there have been 3,000 votes for the Fort Lauderdale service.

"We need more votes," Peek said at a meeting Tuesday of the Huntsville/Madison County Airport Authority.

Participants can log onto www.huntsvillehotticket.com or www.wdrm.com and complete an online form. Entrants are eligible to win a pair of free round-trip tickets to a city where Allegiant flies from Huntsville. The results of the contest will be announced Sept. 30 at Big Spring Jam on the WDRM stage. The contest ends Sept. 28.