CCIA Outpacing the National Average
Press Release
Corpus Christi International Airport (CCIA) is experiencing a steady increase in the number of people traveling and is outperforming the national average when it comes to future bookings.
For the month of August, a total of 13,193 people flew out of CCIA which represents a 20% increase over July. While the numbers are still lower than they were last year before the pandemic hit, the numbers show that more and more people are not only confident enough to fly again, they are also showing a lot of confidence in future travel.
During the last week of August, future air travel bookings in the nation were 30% what they were back in 2019. This means that nationally, these bookings were down -70%. In the Coastal Bend, air travelers were booking at a much higher rate; 66% of what was booked around the same time the year before, down only -34%. “Future bookings are just one indication of how the market is rebounding during the coronavirus pandemic, said Kevin Smith, Asst. Director of Aviation at CCIA. “As long as CCIA is doing better than other airports in Texas and across the nation, we have a better shot at getting the kind of attention from the airlines that we would like to attract,” said Smith.
CCIA has gone from a low of 2,000 passengers a month back in April to more than 13,000 passengers in August. When combined with the optimism in future bookings, “this is a good story to tell the airlines as we work with them on future planning.” said Smith.
While the airlines have responded to the soft future bookings nationwide by pulling back on capacity (fewer seats and flights offered overall), all three of the airlines that serve CCIA are still flying in and out of the community each day. The one thing that local travelers can do to make things even better is to consider flying CCIA once they are ready to take to the skies again.
“In the wake of COVID-19, the rebound of the airline industry will rely heavily on consumer confidence,” said Smith. “When people feel they can stay healthy and safe while flying, they’re more likely to take a trip. The speed with which travelers come back to airports will determine the rate of recovery for the airlines and the entire industry.”
“We know that not everyone is ready to fly right now. All we ask is that when you’re ready to travel again, you consider investing in your own airport and make the choice to FlyCCIA,” said Smith.
