July passenger count for McCarran down slightly

The July passenger count slipped slightly at McCarran International Airport as major U.S. airlines continued to trim their local flight schedules.

The 3.7 million people who arrived at or departed from Las Vegas marked a 0.6 percent drop from one year ago. The modest re­covery in traffic that extended back to 2011, with passenger counts up 3.0 percent in the four months through April, has fizzled in the past three months.

Among the top five carriers at McCarran, only the combined Southwest and AirTran posted growth during July. Even Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air, the unit of Allegiant Travel Co. that has grown rapidly in recent months, showed a dip as it reversed some of its expansion moves from earlier in the year.

In keeping with schedules determined months ago, when fuel prices were rising, the number of flights fell 3.3 percent in July and the number of seats dropped 2.0 percent. Southwest has been installing seats with thinner cushions, allowing them to add one more row to each side of the aisle, a factor in the airportwide seat counts falling slower than flight counts.

Only five of the 14 scheduled domestic airlines grew, led by the 53.2 percent by discounter Spirit.

The international side remained a bright spot for McCarran, up 9.1 percent in July, even as passengers faced longer lines to clear customs and immigration in the new Terminal 3. Much of the upturn came from newcomers Arkefly, airberlin and Copa, plus continued growth by Mexico's Volaris.

On the other hand, Canada's WestJet, one of the fastest-growing airlines at McCarran for several years, reported a rare slight drop. It still remains on track to become the first foreign airline ever to carry 1 million people in and out of Las Vegas.

United Kingdom rivals British Airways and Virgin Atlantic both saw declines. XL Airways France saw its traffic fall by half as it operated fewer flights to Paris.

The short term promises little relief for the visitor industry, which views people who fly to Las Vegas as likely to stay longer and spend more than those who drive. McCarran statistical summaries list declines in both flights and seats during August.

On a national level, analyst Hunter Keay of the brokerage Wolfe Trahan & Co. reduced his earnings estimates for the 10 airlines he covers because of rising fuel prices, even as he forecasts more capacity cuts. Even with higher fares in the offing, his projections show the extra revenue will not cover the extra fuel bills, a trigger in recent years for airlines deciding to put fewer planes in the air.

For the seven months to date, McCarran's 24.4 million passengers marked a 1.5 percent gain, with domestic airlines up 1.1 percent and international airlines up 11.8 percent.

Contact reporter Tim O'Reiley at toreiley@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290.