McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas posts busiest March on record
McCarran International Airport had its busiest March on record with more than 4.2 million airline passengers, topping the record set a decade ago by roughly 100,000 travelers, the Clark County Department of Aviation reported Tuesday.
It was also the fourth time in McCarran’s history that passenger volumes exceeded 4.2 million in a single month, airport spokeswoman Christine Crews said.
Passenger traffic rose by 3.2 percent compared to March 2016, bolstered by an increase in domestic flights at the nation’s eighth-busiest airport.
More than 3.83 million travelers boarded or arrived on domestic flights last month, a 3.3 percent increase from a year earlier. International flights arriving at or departing McCarran carried 284,680 travelers, a narrow 0.1 percent decline from a year earlier.
During the first quarter of 2017, 11.31 million passengers flew in or out of Las Vegas, a 2.2 percent increase from the same period last year.
Air Canada had a 14 percent increase in traffic with 77,387 passengers last month, while Canadian carrier WestJet was down 10.9 percent with 76,094 passengers.
Virgin Atlantic Airways reported a 1.2 percent increase in traffic with 21,756 passengers. British Airways carried 27,347 passengers in March, a 0.1 percent decrease from last year, while British competitor Thomas Cook Airlines was up 44.9 percent with 8,333 passengers.
Norwegian Air Shuttle leaped 102.7 percent over last year to 9,233 passengers. Korean Air was up 29.7 percent with 9,224 passengers. Chinese budget carrier Hainan Airlines, which launched service in December, reported 2,279 passengers.
Mexican carrier Interjet reported a 139.1 percent leap to 12,107 passengers in March, while Aeromexico had a 29.3 percent dip to 15,125 passengers. Volaris reported a 39.8 percent drop in March to 12,870 passengers compared with the same period a year earlier.
Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Follow @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.
McCarran domestic carrier performance in March
Market leader Southwest Airlines: 1.58 million passengers, up 0.8 percent from March 2016.
American Airlines, McCarran’s No. 2 carrier: 418,937 passengers, down 2.3 percent
Third-place Delta: 366,500 passengers, up a 6.4 percent
No. 4 United Airlines: 311,906 passengers, up 6.6 percent
Spirit Airlines, McCarran’s No. 5 carrier: 290,900 passengers, up 15.2 percent
Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air: 217,949 passengers, up 0.1 percent
Source: Clark County Department of Aviation
