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CCIA chasing pre-pandemic level travel numbers, showing improvements on national scale

Airport officials say this is expected to be one of the busiest travel season since 2019.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — This summer is expected to be one of the busiest travel seasons, even rivaling pre-pandemic travel numbers. 

But, the airline industry itself has had to weather a pandemic travel slowdown, labor market shifts and now even a pilot shortage. 

Leaders here at home have a rare message of success across the board, even showing improvement on a national scale. 

"Our travel numbers for the last two months have been outstanding especially compared to our 2020 levels and even our 2019 levels," Tyler Miller, Corpus Christi International Airport's Deputy Director said. "Our travel numbers for the last two months have been outstanding especially compared to our 2020 levels and even our 2019 levels."  

Those numbers are so good in fact, the those numbers from before the pandemic are only 300 passengers ahead of where the airport is now. 

Miller says while the recovery from the pandemic was daunting, the work done in that time is starting to get noticed. But, even the Coastal Bend isn't immune to those national issues. 

"We're not immune to any of the impacts," Miller said. "A lot of the industry is not doing so well because of the high fuel prices, because of high ticket prices. Airlines in general are more expensive than they were a year or two ago and there is a perception right now that air travel is getting more and more expensive and it's not as friendly as going on a road trip instead."

But, before you get in your car to drive to another bigger airport in order to get to your vacation spot, Miller says do the math, you might even save money flying from home.

"Now people are thinking twice about driving two and a half hours north to fly out of another airport," Miller said. "We've always said don't just look at the ticket price, look at the price of the whole trip. Consider tolls parking, time, the mileage on your car and of course gas."

The airport itself moved up six spaces on a list of over 500 airports across the country. It also ranks as the seventh largest non-hub airport. 

But they are trying to fight the narrative that they are just a small airport with a big price tag, but they're hoping that these sky high travel numbers will help drive that change. 

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