Sarasota Bradenton International Airport welcomed 161,435 passengers last month, a 39.9 per cent increase from the same month in 2018. Sarasota Bradenton added two new carriers, 23 new routes and 18 new destinations in the past year and a half. Year-to-date passenger traffic at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport is also up by 38 per cent, according to the airport.
Two low-cost airlines joined Sarasota-Bradenton’s fleet in 2018. Allegiant Air launched with year-round, nonstop service to Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh in April and today operates 12 routes at Sarasota-Bradenton, including Asheville, Baltimore, Cleveland, Columbus, Grand Rapids, Harrisburg, Nashville, Richmond and Syracuse.
The airport set a record for passenger traffic in May following a spring season when several new flights took off for the first time. The airport now has eight airlines providing nonstop service to 29 destinations.
Rick Piccolo, president and CEO of Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, said that the airport has witnessed an increase in food and beverage sales, gift shop purchases and rental car and parking lot revenue. This boosted the overall growth of the airport. The increased revenue sets the cycle – it leads to even lower rates and charges to the airlines which would in return encourage continued growth.
American Airlines announced new routes and more are yet to be declared.
