BUSINESS

Traffic is slowing at the Evansville airport. Officials say the reason is complicated

John T. Martin
Evansville Courier & Press

EVANSVILLE – Evansville Regional Airport is revving up its "fly local" message amid new data pointing to recent declines in flights.

Total boardings at the airport are at 105,104 for the year, up 2.3% from 102,751 at this point in 2021. But other trends haven’t looked as good. EVV saw 12,743 passengers board in August, down 17% from the 15,419 the same time last year.

EVV’s daily connections with Chicago via American Airlines and Detroit via Delta Airlines remain on pause. The airport doesn’t know when they might return.

That left Evansville with two daily connections to each of its three hubs: Atlanta, Charlotte and Dallas. Allegiant Air offers nondaily flights to Orlando, as well as a seasonal Destin, Florida, connection.

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Airport manager Nate Hahn said Allegiant’s Florida flights are full, but EVV wants to boost passenger loads on its daily flights. He’s hit Evansville’s television interview circuit in recent days to push that message.

“We’ve got to get our community flying more. … We’re trying to keep it on the top of people’s minds,” Hahn said after a recent airport board meeting.

EVV officials said there are several reasons for the year-over-year decline in enplanements. Fares are likely one of them, as travelers look to cut costs by using airports in larger cities, where fares are generally lower.

But the explanation isn't that simple, EVV officials said. They noted Evansville’s airport has lost some capacity in the last year, with United permanently ending its Evansville-to-Chicago service and with American and Delta pausing its Chicago and Detroit flights.

Boardings will inevitably decline if there are fewer seats to fill, officials said.

“Capacity is not apples to apples year over year,” said Leslie Fella, director of marketing and air service. “Our load factors are healthy, the percent of passengers filling planes is healthy, if there are seats still available.”

Airports everywhere facing headwinds

A surge nationally in fight cancellations has likely trickled down to EVV as well, officials said. They also noted that business-related travel – which sagged everywhere during the pandemic – has been slower to rebound than vacation travel.

Weather factors, such as Hurricane Ian, which devastated some Florida destinations, also cause dips in airline boardings.

Fella said the airport has no current data on the number of Evansville-Henderson area residents choosing to fly out of larger metros. Air fares are set by airlines. Comparing them from airport to airport can be tricky because they fluctuate according to season, days of the week and destination, she said.

In many cases, though, fares are cheaper at larger nearby airports. Travelers often must weigh the costs of gas and parking at those airports against a higher fare at EVV. Departure times also are a factor in choosing a flight.

Hahn said the "fly local" message is one EVV returns to often as it tries to shield its remaining routes from cuts and bring back connections not currently available. Evansville officials trumpet the convenience the local airport offers, and the ability to head straight home after landing, rather than spend a couple more hours driving.

Last year, U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon and Sens. Mike Braun and Todd Young co-signed a letter to American and Delta requesting that Evansville's Chicago and Detroit flights resume. But EVV is hardly alone in seeing connections paused or permanently cut.

Since the pandemic, carriers have cut trimmed many routes across the country. Delta's daily connection between Fort Wayne and Detroit was paused this month.

Yet another obstacle for airports across the country is a significant pilot shortage.

Hahn said he's had questions in recent days about EVV's ongoing parking lot expansion, and why dollars for that weren't spent on air service. He said federal dollars used for that project are earmarked for airport infrastructure, while air service depends on flyer demand and is decided by airlines.

Traffic at Evansville's airport was climbing to record levels before COVID, but the pandemic and other factors have brought headwinds since. Hahn said the air travel industry has persevered through many historic events, and he predicted it will again. Though it will take more time.

"We’re still working our way back up," Hahn said.