September 2nd-best month of 2022 for Reid passenger numbers

Harry Reid International Airport had the second highest number of monthly passengers in September for the year, the Clark County Department of Aviation reported Monday.

The airport serving Las Vegas reported 4.8 million passengers in September, a 25.9 percent increase over the previous year. It was also the best September on record for the airport.

“These numbers are further proof of why we are among the most, if not the most, recovered airports in the country and even the world,” Reid spokesman Joe Rajchel said. “The demand for Las Vegas remains incredibly strong, and we anticipate that will continue in the coming months.”

The airport nearly doubled the number of international passengers for the month compared with last year, and domestic passenger traffic was up 21.6 percent over September 2021.

The September passenger count boosts the nine-month 2022 total to 38.5 million passengers, a 39.3 percent increase over the same time frame a year ago.

The top three domestic carriers serving Reid International continued to roll with double-digit percentage increases of the number of passengers served.

Market leader Southwest Airlines carried 1.6 million passengers to and from Las Vegas, a 21.1 percent spike from last year. Florida-based deep discount carrier Spirit Airlines had 707,041 passengers, up 53.8 percent from September 2021, and Denver-based Frontier Airlines reported 488,266 passengers, an increase of 15.9 percent year over year.

Spirit Airlines recently announced that it was acquired by Jet Blue Airways, and it’s unclear how the transaction will affect future operations in Las Vegas.

Delta Air Lines passenger counts were up 5.9 percent to 388,468 passengers, while American Airlines, No. 5, was down 6.2 percent to 346,956 passengers.

Among international air carriers, Air Canada, with 60,035 passengers, a 440.1 percent increase over last year, led the pack while Canadian discount rival WestJet reported 54,064 passengers, a 137.2 percent increase.

Among overseas operators, London-based British Airways reported passenger counts flat at 18,846 while rival Virgin Atlantic was also flat at 17,774 passengers.

Korean Airlines was the leading Asian carrier with passenger counts flat at 4,388 for the month.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.