Logan Airport broke a post-pandemic Boston departure passenger record on Friday, April 12, with the most daily departures since August 2019.
Air travel finally appears to be recovering after COVID-19 disrupted airports and the travel industry, with state ports authorities reporting higher-than-expected passenger activity this year. is.
Nearly 3.6 million passengers traveled through Logan Airport in April. This was 9% higher than expected. Air travel is 5% higher than expected year-over-year, Ed Freni, director of aviation and interim CEO of the Massachusetts Ports Authority, said at a Thursday morning board meeting.
Freni said Logan expects the number of passengers flying in and out of Boston's airport to finish the fiscal year at the end of June more than 41 million, “as a result of stronger-than-expected economic growth.”
“As air travel begins to recover from the pandemic, leisure travel has grown faster and stronger than business travel. Airlines now have more room for business travel to recover,” he told Massport board members on Thursday. “We are reporting that it is occurring,” he said.
He reported that most airlines posted double-digit growth in revenue from corporate customers in the first quarter.
“Companies, especially large companies in finance, technology and professional services, are increasing their spending on air travel, and this trend is expected to continue through 2024,” Freni said.
More and more passengers are combining business and leisure travel to add extra vacation time to their work trips.
This April, school holiday weeks in Massachusetts and New Hampshire coincided with the Boston Marathon, making air travel in the Bay State the busiest two weeks since pre-pandemic.
On Friday, April 12, Logan Airport set a new post-pandemic record with nearly 78,000 outbound passengers and 160,000 total arrivals and departures from Boston. This is the highest daily number since August 2019.
The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 822,000 passengers during that 12-day period, up 11% from last year and 5% from 2019.
The increase in air travel is not limited to Boston. In Worcester, ridership has skyrocketed over the past year.
More than 21,000 passengers used Worcester Regional Airport in April. This is a 17 percent increase over last year and 23 percent above pre-pandemic levels compared to April 2019. Mr Freni attributed this increase, at least in part, to the new service between Worcester. and Fort Myers, Florida.
Massport's aviation director said Thursday he expects high passenger numbers to continue through the summer.
Nationally, TSA is preparing for the largest volume of traffic it has ever seen in the coming months.
The agency expects to test more than 18 million passengers and crew from May 23 to May 29, about 6.4% more than the same period last year.
“We are working closely with our airports, airlines, and travel partners to be fully prepared to handle the increased travel volume this summer,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement. “We also continue to deploy cutting-edge checkpoint technology that increases security effectiveness and efficiency and improves the passenger experience, and our retention and adoption numbers are at an all-time high. ”
The TSA is warning flyers to allow plenty of time at the airport and pack wisely to avoid being pulled through security lines.
Freni said the airline's schedule is more stable after the summer 2022 meltdown caused cancellation rates to skyrocket. The cancellation rate has fallen to 1.4% from just over 2% two years ago.
“but, [the Federal Aviation Administration] “We continue to face air traffic control deficiencies, which can lead to ground stops, delays, and congestion in the Northeast's airspace, especially during summer afternoon thunderstorms,” he warned.
— State Legislature News Service
