Airport sees surge in travelers

Dallas' loss was Salt Lake City's gain.

The Texas city lost its status as a Delta hub early in 2005, and Utah's capital gained nearly 4 million passengers throughout last year from the airline's restructuring. Those extra passengers pushed Salt Lake International Airport's load to 22.2 million people in 2005 — its highest number ever and more than a 20 percent increase over 2004.

Delta almost exclusively bore the increase: The airline carried 3.7 million of the 3.9 million new people through Salt Lake City in 2005. The company uses Salt Lake City as its Western hub for connecting flights throughout the region.

"I think its central location, the size, the cleanliness, the friendliness of the airport, the relationship that we have with the community out there — the Delta Center's out there — it's a mutually beneficial relationship," said Chris Kelly, a Delta spokeswoman who is based in Atlanta. "The Salt Lake airport is a very friendly, open airport and can handle the sustained growth, and I think that it means really good things for your economy."

The state's tourism office agrees.

"This is great news that more people are coming via the airlines," said Tracie Cayford, a spokeswoman for the Governor's Office of Economic Development who promotes tourism in Utah. "They traditionally tend to be the destination visitors who sometimes stay longer and spend more money, so that's a positive trend."

The passengers trickled in throughout the year, with no one month experiencing more dramatic growth than another, said Barbara Gann, a spokeswoman for the airport. The climb in passengers may translate to more jobs and more money for the city's and state's economies, she said.

The airport's numbers include connecting flights, business travelers and Utah residents, so not every one of the 4 million passengers spent money on ski trips, souvenirs and restaurant tabs. Still, the number is a boon to Salt Lake City and the state for the taxes collected on every passenger.

Mayor Rocky Anderson said having a hub airport near downtown lures visitors and businesses to the city.

"I think a lot of us take it for granted until we start traveling a lot around the world," Anderson said. "We have the most easily accessible airport from our downtown."

Salt Lake City also picked up 23 new flights from Delta in 2005, including the most recent planned additions to Long Beach and New Orleans. Those two cities bring the total number of destinations from Salt Lake City to 100, which Kelly touts as another reason Delta is successful in Salt Lake City.

Kelly said the airline will grow as far as its customer service will allow it — "we don't want to compromise on customer service for the sake of growth," she said.

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E-mail: kswinyard@desnews.com