After eight months of weak passenger growth, Richmond International Airport's traffic fell 5.5 percent in April compared with the same month a year ago, the Capital Region Airport Commission reported.
High energy prices, reduced competition to Richmond's top market, an uncertain national economy and the late Easter holiday all appeared to contribute to the falloff in local air travel, airport officials said Tuesday.
In April, 268,657 passengers used Richmond International, making the month RIC's worst April in six years. Last year, 284,218 air travelers used the capital region field in April.
However, through the first 10 months of the fiscal year that began July 1, RIC's passenger traffic is up 1.2 percent compared with the same period a year ago: 2,707,518 versus 2,676,449.
"Energy prices influenced ticket prices," airport spokesman Troy Bell said. "If people are traveling by air, they're concerned about ticket prices," he said. "If energy costs subside, and ticket prices reflect that, then traffic should be comparable to what we saw a year ago," Bell said.
A round-trip airline ticket booked a week before departure to New York's LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International airports cost $117 a year ago, Bell said. Today the same ticket would cost $459.
"New York reflects an exaggerated effect because of the loss of a low-cost competitor on that route," Bell said. "While energy costs have widely influenced ticket prices, that kind of increase is not universal" for Richmond air fares.
Low-cost carriers JetBlue Airways and AirTran Airways no longer serve the New York market, which is Richmond's most popular destination.
JetBlue dropped its two daily nonstop RIC-JFK flights Nov. 1. AirTran ended its Richmond-LaGuardia flights in early 2009, about five months after starting the service.
The airlines said they were not getting enough premium-paying business travelers. Business group Greater Richmond Chamber is conducting a public relations effort to encourage travelers to fly on the two discount carriers, which help hold air fares down at RIC. The low-cost airlines carried about 16 percent of Richmond's passengers in April.
Delta Air Lines was the only air carrier at Richmond reporting year-over-year growth — 12.7 percent — for April.
Discount carrier Southwest Airlines Co. has bought AirTran, consolidating its status as one of the biggest U.S. airlines, though little will change for Richmond's AirTran customers for a while.
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