Airline Stats Fail To Take Off

Travel through the Jackson Hole Airport continued its mixed activity last month.  According to the monthly report to the Airport Board there were 1% fewer passengers catching flights out of the valley in September than during the same month last year and 2% more passengers arriving.  Those numbers come on top of a 6% decrease in enplanements during 2011 from 2010 and a 12% decrease in those arriving over that same period.  Year-to-date figures show a continued downward trend in air travel to and from Jackson Hole with 3% fewer passengers catching flights out and 1% fewer arriving. Those numbers are similar to those seen the previous year.  Meanwhile, the number of actual flights serving the valley increased by 3% last month.  Airlines serving Jackson Hole in September included American, Delta, Skywest, United, Frontier and Republic Airlines.  Airport Manager Ray Bishop says direct flights between Houston, Texas and San Francisco, California were added last June, but the flights to Houston will now end.  However, he says a flight connecting Newark, New Jersey with Jackson is to be added in December bringing to nine, the number of connections with major airports.  Bishop says that means when the winter schedule begins, Jackson will have direct flights to Denver, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and now Newark – making Jackson Hole the busiest airport in the state.