Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTIA) – like most airports around the world – has been on quite a roller coaster ride when it comes to passenger traffic over the last two years.
PTIA hit a low point in the spring of 2020 when, on one day, more people worked at the airport terminal than flew in and out of it. Since then, there have been ups and downs in those numbers, and, at the Tuesday, Oct. 26 meeting of the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority, the new numbers for September were released.
The passenger stats for September 2021 presented at the monthly board meeting revealed that passenger traffic in and out of PTIA was up 128 percent in September 2021 when compared with September 2020.
However, year-to-date stats for 2021 show that passenger traffic in 2021 is down 48 percent this year when compared to last year.
The airport’s stats also show that passenger traffic in both 2020 and 2021 has been significantly below pre-pandemic levels back in the good old days of 2019.
One positive during the pandemic for PTIA Airport has been cargo traffic, and that continues to be the case. The amount of cargo coming in and out of the airport was up 92 percent in September 2021 over September 2020 – and was up 31 percent in a year-to-date comparison.
Cargo for September 2021 was up 45 percent compared with September two years ago before COVID-19 struck.
In another stat, the total number of departing seats out of PTIA booked for November 2021 is 102,300 – which is down 15 percent over November 2019.
Load factor – which reflects the average percentage of airplane seats departing from PTIA that were filled with passengers – was 79 percent in July 2021.
July’s load factor was higher than July of 2020 but slightly less than in July of 2019.
I’m ready to travel but travel isn’t ready for me. It’s too difficult to go places when you have to wear a mask everywhere you go, have to pay extra for a test (that can equal the cost of your ticket at both ends of your flight and takes lots of planning and time in addition to your trip planning), and you’re unsure of future government mandates that could affect your planned flight or destination events. So why go anywhere unless there’s an emergency?
I took a quick trip to DisneyWorld with my cousin when it reopened in late Sept. to early Oct. 2020 only to experience two falls on subsequent days due to humidity fogged glasses caused by mask mandates that resulted in 5 stitches over my left eye, a broken shoulder, badly damaged leg muscles that I’m still getting physical therapy for today, which is another reason I can’t travel safely at this time. Do I want to travel again with this virus mess continuing? Not really. Do I miss seeing family and friends? Yes.
PTI has always been a great airport to fly out of even when it cost more than other nearby airports because it was worth paying extra to not have to stay overnight or have to bother someone to drive me to CLT or RDU for an early morning flight. I do miss PTI being a major passenger hub where I could get good flights to the West Coast at fares comparable to those at nearby airports because it’s really nice to be able to get to the airport in 25 minutes. I was spoiled living here in the 70s thru 90s with Piedmont and other quality carriers offering great service and flight schedules.
LOL, the trick is to put your glass’s nose clamps on top of the mask. Not complicated.
This is good news.
I would like to point out that American Airlines showed a profit for the last quarter; but, ALL of this profit was due to U.S. Govt free money (taxpayer money). Without this gift from us, American Airlines would have had a loss during the same quarter.
So, one of the ugliest and most predatory businesses in the U.S is propped up with our money. Do you like that?
On another note, I see that our friendly investment bankers at JPMorganChase are working to become completely wokie-i-fied. The are going to spend at least $30 BILLION dollars of their stockholder’s money in order to improve racial equity. More billions to favor other groups and entities. All favoring one group over another, without any consideration of merit or competence. Sorta like step-raised Greensboro City employees.
Most people don’t have a clue about what is going on. There are so many outfits to ignore, that it is no longer possible. Just a few: NationsBank, Amazon, Facebook, Alphabet, P&G, Wells Fargo, etc., etc. How about all the advertisers on NFL, NBA, WBA? Like Budweiser or Bose.
Is it too late?
As long as they don’t support narrow minded thinking such as yours we should be fine.
It isn’t about favoring one group over another. It about bringing parity to historically disadvantaged groups of society. For example, the recent study that showed if you had a name that is stereotypically associated with a minority group you far less likely to have your resume selected for an in person interview even using the identical resume.
You can keep your narrow view of empathy for the disadvantages society still places on various groups but thankfully big business is more open minded than yourself.
I disagree with you completely. How would you like someone advanced over your because of their sex or race? Or if you were more qualified? Do you like paying higher City and County taxes to pay employees who are advanced and raised without any regard to their value to the job?
Our Republic was built on hard and smart work, not equity or equal outcomes. What we need is the freedom to make our own way, on our own.
Why should all not have the same access to potential? US has a deep history of providing easier access to business success and personal success to Whites at the exclusion of minorities. While not as prevalent today, the issues of racism still exist and unfortunately narrow minded perspectives of this is why companies specifically design processes to force open carrier opportunities for all. No easy task.
I failed to point out that J.P. Morgan (1837-1913) is arguably the most important U.S. banker of the 19th & 20th centuries. For example, in cooperation with the President and other bankers, The Country was saved from financial devastation during the Panic of 1907. In just three weeks, the stock market came off nearly 50% from previous highs. The U.S. Treasury could have defaulted.
Mr. Morgan was quoted with many pithy statements, such as “…any man who is a bear on the future of this country will go broke”, or, “Giving debt relief to people that really need it, that’s what foreclosure is.”
If he could see his “bank” now, he might move to Switzerland The dipsticks we send to Congress now, are responsible are our ruin. We elected them, we are responsible.