Airport Passenger Boarding Numbers Continue to Soar
Author: Airport Management
Date: 1/17/2018 11:43 AM
New routes and added flights lead to a 23% increase over 2016
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA — 2017 was a year for the record books at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport (SBP). A record-breaking 407,646 passengers traveled to/ from the airport in 2017 as compared to 330,231 passengers the year before, marking a 23.4 percent increase.
New flights offered by Alaska Airlines to Seattle (SEA) and United Airlines’ addition of new nonstop service to Denver (DEN) coupled with a fourth daily roundtrip to San Francisco, helped fuel the momentum and growth at the airport in 2017.
Every carrier saw an increase in total passengers for the year including American Airlines with 156,368 passengers noting an 11.8 percent increase and United Airlines, which carried 216,918 passengers for the year, a 13.9 percent increase over 2016 numbers.
"It was a great year at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport," said Director of Airports Kevin Bumen C.M., C.A.E. "Regional travelers continued to discover our great airline service and improved airport experience. As evidenced by our new passenger terminal, San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport is committed to adding amenities and service options passengers have come to expect for their travel needs."
The Airport anticipates continued growth in 2018. Beginning in April of 2018, United Airlines will start flying the larger Embraer 175 (ERJ-175) aircraft on its San Luis Obispo (SBP) to Denver (DEN) route as well as on two of the daily Los Angeles (LAX) flights and one of carrier’s daily trips to San Francisco (SFO). The ERJ-175 provides additional comforts that the 50-seat Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ-200) currently does not; namely a first-class cabin option and more leg room.
Bumen notes the up-gauging of aircraft by United Airlines marks the single-largest increase in capacity the Airport has ever seen at one time and is a tangible result of the County’s commitment to serving the region’s air service needs. "We are excited to see that United Airlines has taken note of the fact that both locals and visitors love flying directly into San Luis Obispo and has brought more seats into our region."
ABOUT US
San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport (SBP) serves areas as far north as Southern Monterey County and as far south as Northern Santa Barbara County. The airport offers convenient access to and from the Central Coast. Residents and visitors have the choice of three commercial airlines with flights to Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle and Denver. The San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport dedicated a new terminal building on November 2, 2017 which provides 56,000 square feet of airport space to passengers and allows the Airport to provide an enhanced passenger experience to travelers. The airport is also home to full service general aviation and corporate facilities. For more information, or to book a flight, visit www.sloairport.com.
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