Air travel showed a 0.1% uptick in October, essentially flat compared with last year. International air travel carried the lift, gaining 1.3% year-over-year, or just over 1 million passengers, while domestic passenger traffic dropped marginally by 0.2%, bringing in about 4.36 million passengers.

Year to date, passenger traffic is down just 1.4%, welcoming over 51 million passengers through the Houston Airport System. Domestic travel YTD is down 2.2%, dropping to 40.6 million passengers, while international air travel has increased by 1.5% YOY, bringing in about 11 million passengers.

Air Traffic – In the Numbers

Domestic travel in October was essentially flat at 4.36 million. Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) showed a 1.2% drop in traffic, down to 3.1 million. Hobby Airport helped to offset those losses, bringing in about 1.2 million domestic passengers, up 2.6%. Major airlines including United, Southwest and American Airlines all saw domestic passenger gains in October, while budget airlines like Spirit continue to lose traffic, dropping over 30% in total passenger traffic.

International traffic showed a 1.3% gain, bringing in just over 1 million visitors. IAH welcomed the majority of international visitors, bringing in over 950,000, a 2-point increase, while Hobby Airport dropped by almost 10%, bringing in just over 55,000 passengers.

See full stats here.

Written by Megan Henson