SGF passenger counts reach pre-recession levels

Passenger counts are taking off at Springfield-Branson National Airport.

In May, the total number of passengers using SGF increased 15 percent to 75,452, the largest increase since before the recession. The May 2013 passenger count was 65,611, according to data provided by Kent Boyd, marketing manager for the Springfield airport.

Passenger totals for 2014 through May 31 reached 327,355, an 11.7 percent jump from 292,967 through the first five months of 2013. According to an SGF news release, the percentage increase represents only the second time since the turn of the century that the airport has increased passenger counts by double digits during the first five months of the year. The first time came in 2005 when Allegiant Air (Nasdaq: ALGT) and Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) started flying out of SGF.

“Demand for air travel in southwest Missouri is going up - that’s a classic sign of an improving local economy,” Springfield airport Director Brian Weiler said in the release. “The airlines see this demand and they’re responding by bringing more seats to the market.”

In May, Allegiant had 35.9 percent more seats available than in the same month last year, American Airlines Group Inc. (Nasdaq: AAL) increased its seat count for SGF customers by 11.1 percent, United Airlines rose 3.6 percent and Delta pushed seats by 3 percent.

SGF officials are expecting carriers to bring in larger planes to fill local demand and phase out 50-seat jets, which according to the release, are expensive to maintain and not fuel efficient.

The four carriers at SGF provide nonstop flights to 10 destinations: Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Orlando, and Ft. Myers, Fla.