HIGHFILL, Ark. --
Airline ticket sales and boardings are still down nationwide, but Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport is bucking that trend by showing an increase in passengers.
Airport officials hope holiday travelers will boost their traffic even more.
Traffic was up 2 percent in June, 3 percent in July, and in September traffic jumped 6 percent.
Springdale resident Duane Humphries hopes to continue that trend by traveling to Atlanta from XNA in a little over a week.
“I'm going back for Thanksgiving,” he said. “Going out Tuesday, coming back the following Monday.”
He already has his tickets.
Airport director Scott Van Laningham hopes more people will follow Humphries' lead.
“Folks are still waiting to make those arrangements, making sure they can still afford to travel,” he said.
He said advance bookings between now and the end of year are off to a slow start, but still look good compared to numbers the airport posted last year.
“We had been down as much as 18 to 20 percent compared to the same time a year ago,” he said.
Van Laningham said the addition of Allegiant Air flights to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and a new flight to Orlando, which starts next week, should also help boost holiday traffic.
The airline has been extremely popular since its debut at XNA about six months ago.
“They are running at a 90 percent load factor, which is very good,” Van Laningham said.
XNA officials said at this point there are no immediate plans to add more flights through Allegiant Air, but if the new Orlando flight posts good numbers and the other two flights continue to be successful, even more destinations could be an option in the long run.
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