Mitchell passenger traffic up 5.7% for 21st straight month of gains

Mitchell International Airport reported Thursday that its May passenger count increased 5.7% over May 2010, marking the 21st straight month of record passenger numbers.

For the first five months of the year, passenger numbers are up 3.2% over the same period in 2010.

Mitchell International in 2010 was the nation's 34th-largest airport, up from 45th-largest airport in 2009, according to the Airport Council International. With 56 markets, Mitchell has moved up to 28th among U.S. airports in number of markets served nonstop, according to the Brookings Institution.

In recent years, the airport has become busier - and its fares have dropped - after the former Midwest Airlines saw its market share decline substantially.

That occurred as competition increased among AirTran Airways, Southwest Airlines and Frontier Airlines, which has taken over the former Midwest operations.

However, some aviation industry observers say competition will lessen as Southwest integrates AirTran into its operations over the next year or so. Southwest bought AirTran in May.

Copyright 2011, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved. (Note: This notice does not apply to those news items already copyrighted and received through wire services or other media.)

Copyright, 2011, Journal Sentinel, All Rights Reserved.