SRQ Passenger Traffic for December Increases 12% Over November

Sarasota/Manatee
January 15, 2021
For Immediate Release
 
 

 
For the month of December, passenger traffic at the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) increased 12% over the previous month of November. December passengers totaled 119,114 compared to 106,195 passengers in November.  Compared to December 2019, passenger traffic was 52% of the 2019 level of 228,015.  End-of-year figures show airport passenger traffic down 37% with 1,236,986 passengers using the airport in 2020 compared to 1,966,950 passengers in 2019.
 
“For 2020, COVID-19 brought many challenges to the airport and airline industry.  SRQ started the year with record-breaking growth, only to see traffic slow to less than 10,000 passengers for the month of April.  Our parking lots went from having up to 2,000 cars parked per day to less than 50. 
 
During this challenging time, SRQ implemented numerous cleaning and safety measures and capitalized on the decrease in traffic to expedite construction projects that would be difficult to complete during busy times. We repaved our short and long-term parking lots, redesigned our screening checkpoint, and accelerated airfield construction projects.    
 
With a shift in demand from business to leisure travelers, we worked closely with Visit Sarasota County and the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau to market our destination and promote our pristine beaches, outdoor activities, and warm weather climate.  We communicated these attributes with our existing airlines and new airlines that were not currently serving our airport. This resulted in the culmination of new routes, destinations, and the addition of Southwest Airlines who will begin service at SRQ next month.       
 
For 2020, SRQ finished the year with over 1.2M passengers.  Future scheduled service that is currently loaded in the airline reservation system shows an increase in seats into and out of our market to be at levels near pre-COVID.  With the vaccine currently being distributed worldwide, and SRQ now offering service on 10 airlines to 43 destinations, we are hopeful that 2021 will be a much better year for both the airport and the community,” stated Rick Piccolo, President, CEO of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. 
 
The following are upcoming service start dates:

Feb. 6 Chicago, IL (ORD) Frontier                       (returning seasonal service)
Feb. 11, Houston, TX (IAH) United                     (new service)
Feb. 13 Denver, CO (DEN) United                       (returning seasonal service)
Feb. 14 Baltimore, MD (BWI) Southwest           (new service)
Feb. 14 Chicago, IL (MDW) Southwest              (new service)
Feb. 14 Houston (HOU) Southwest                    (new service)
Feb. 14 Nashville (BNA) Southwest                   (new service)
Mar. 6 Trenton, NJ (TTN) Frontier                      (returning seasonal service)
Mar. 13 Columbus, OH (CMH) Southwest        (new seasonal service)
Mar. 13 Indianapolis, IN (IND) Southwest         (new seasonal service)
Mar. 13 Pittsburgh, PA (PIT) Southwest            (new seasonal service)
May 27 Peoria, IL (PIA) Allegiant                       (new seasonal service)
 

Contact:
Fredrick J. Piccolo, President, CEO
Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ)
Tel. (941) 359-2770, extension 4200