SRQ traffic climbs as airlines restore flights. But it’s nothing like the pre-COVID-19 days
Airline passenger traffic at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport continued to claw its way back in July from the disastrous first days of the COVID-19 pandemic in April, but it was less than half of what it was in the go-go days of July 2019.
Traffic grew 18 percent in July to 62,405 passengers, compared to 52,845 in June.
Still, passenger traffic in July at SRQ was down 57.6 percent compared to July of 2019.
“As our airlines continue to add more nonstop destinations and passenger levels continue to rise, our top priority will continue to be the safety of our passengers. We have implemented multiple layers of cleaning and sanitation measures to ensure those traveling through our facility are safe. We understand the concerns that passengers have when flying, and we will make every effort to ensure their safety when using our facility,” Rick Piccolo, president and CEO of SRQ, said in a press release.
Year-to-date, airport passenger traffic is down 32 percent with 776,430 passengers using the airport so far this year.
The airlines serving SRQ continue to bring back flights that were either temporarily suspended or were only flown seasonally.
For August, Allegiant Air resumed service to three destinations: Allentown, Pa. (ABE), Flint, Mich. (FNT) and Fort Wayne, Ind. (FWA). Delta Air Lines added a fifth daily nonstop flight to Atlanta (ATL), and United Airlines resumed daily nonstop flights to Newark (EWR).
In addition to the increased service in August, more flights and destinations are scheduled to return over the next few months, bringing the number of destinations served at SRQ back to a level close to where it was pre-COVID-19. Currently, there are 36 nonstop destinations that can be booked out of SRQ.
At its worst, passenger traffic at SRQ fell 95 percent in April, compared to April 2019, with only 9,742 passengers traveling through the terminal.
In light of the increase in passengers and destinations, the airport’s focus remains on ensuring the cleanliness and safety of the terminal facility. The airport recently added thermal temperature scanning devices for passengers to self-check their body temperature.
Some of the health and safety measures include plastic shields at all customer service counters, touchless hand sanitizer stations, social distancing markers in queuing lines, and increased janitorial staff to clean high-touch surfaces.
Employees and tenants are required to wear masks in the terminal at SRQ. The airport does not have the same requirement for passengers, although some airlines, notably Allegiant Air, whose planes are often full, require them to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Prior to the pandemic, SRQ was one of the fastest-growing airports in the United States.
