Spirit Airlines helps boost airport travel totals

Columbus’ airports should handily set passenger records this year, based on new data showing growth for the first six months of the year topping the national average.

That bodes well for John Glenn Columbus International Airport and cargo-focused Rickenbacker Airport. More passengers and more cargo are signs of economic vitality.

John Glenn Airport served nearly 751,000 passengers in June, a 7.6 percent increase over June 2017. Through June, the airport served 3.9 million passengers, a 6.7 percent increase over the same period in 2017.

Southwest and Delta airlines have seen especially strong gains. Southwest Airlines, the airport’s largest carrier, has flown 1.4 million passengers so far in Columbus, an increase of 5.1 percent. Delta Air Lines has grown passenger totals by 5.7 percent, to 836,141 for the year through June.

Since launching service at John Glenn Airport in February, Spirit Airlines has served 152,159 passengers.

Passenger numbers at cargo-focused Rickenbacker Airport are trending even stronger, thanks to added routes and extended seasonal schedules from Allegiant Air, the airport’s only regularly scheduled passenger airline.

Allegiant, which specializes in sunny vacation destinations, served 164,661 passengers in the first six months of the year, a 22.3 percent increase over