How Sarasota Bradenton Airport Is Doing as Flights Cancel, Airlines Struggle Nationwide

Aug. 18—MANATEE COUNTY — A few different factors combined to reduce passenger traffic at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport in July — a pilot shortage, sharply higher fuel costs, and air traffic control staffing challenges in the New York area, Jacksonville and elsewhere.

In July, 283,125 passengers traveled through SRQ, a 13.4% decrease from July of 2021.

The same challenges have affected airports across the country, and in the New York area maybe a little more than elsewhere, Rick Piccolo, president and CEO of SRQ, said Wednesday.

The high price of fuel disproportionately affects the smaller, regional airlines. The larger carriers with more airplanes and flights can cut their costs by reducing the number of flights, Piccolo said.

The Associated Press reported this week that the Federal Aviation Administration was reducing flights in the New York City area because of staffing issues and concerns about safety. Departing and arriving flights could be delayed by as much as two hours.

Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines said that FAA staffing issues have affected their scheduling of flights to Florida, the AP reported.

Neither of those airlines factored in the decrease in passenger traffic at SRQ. Spirit does not serve the Bradenton- Sarasota area, and Frontier serves this area only seasonally — not in the summer.

Still, Piccolo was optimistic about passenger traffic rebounding, and overall growth trends.

Passengers traveling through the airport year-to-date have increased 33.1% over the same period in 2021, with 2,377,763 compared to 1,786,638 for the same period last year.

"We continue to see airlines reduce flights nationwide in response to staffing shortages, higher fuel prices, and threats of inflation and recession. We expect to see additional flights added and passenger numbers return to our 2021 levels as the winter holiday season approaches," he said.

Bookings are up 8% in October, 5% in November and 7% in December over the same months in 2021, Piccolo said.

But passenger traffic could be adversely affected if the pilot problem remains unresolved and inflation worsens, he said.

"Currently, we are solely focused on the multitude of construction projects we are embarking on to increase capacity at the airport. These projects include a new five gate terminal, baggage handling system, ground transportation facility, new cell phone lot, and additional parking lots. These projects will allow SRQ to continue to grow and prosper while maintaining the great customer experience that travelers expect when using their hometown airport," Piccolo said.

SRQ has about $200 million in construction projects underway to handle the fastest passenger growth of any airport in the United States.

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