Palm Springs International Airport breaks July passenger record
The Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) set a new record for passengers for the month of July.
PSP reported 129,463 in July. Airport officials said this is a 32% increase over the previous record, which was set in July 2019 when 97,834 passengers used the airport.
The pandemic caused big issues for the travel industry all throughout 2020. The pandemic and hesitancy in travel can be seen by the giant leap in passengers at PSP from 2020 to 2021. According to PSP officials, July 2021 passenger numbers are up 283% compared to July 2020.
This is even taking into account that PSP was one of the few places in the nation where air service is grew, as I-Team investigator Peter Daut learned in his special report in December.
Despite the big increase in passengers over the past year, PSP reports that 2021's passengers number is still lagging 2019 by 37%.
Officials at PSP said that the airport starting returning to pre-pandemic levels in May, however, it actually exceeded pre-pandemic numbers throughout the summer.,
“This summer has been one of the busiest we’ve ever had at the airport, and we expect this rebound to continue with more available flights and ten new routes starting this fall,” said Palm Springs Mayor Christy Holstege. “With the completion of the ticket lobby renovations and the installation of a new baggage system, we are improving the airport user experience and accommodating future demand."
With more passengers arriving at PSP and more routes set to be added in the fall, the airport underwent some changes and improvements for a better experience. On Monday, city and airport officials celebrated the renovation and expansion of its ticket lobby and installation of a new baggage system.
The $36 million project started in February 2020.
The ticket lobby renovation and expansion portion of the project reconfigured airline offices allowing the passenger circulation areas to nearly double in size, improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities, and added additional ticket counters.
The second part of the project reconfigured and replaced the airport’s aging baggage system which had become prone to breaking down. The new baggage system ensures that the airport can efficiently and quickly process the growing number of checked bags and improves the reliability of the system overall.
“The increased processing capability and reliability of the new bag system will help prevent mishandled baggage and lower the chances of a bag missing a flight,” said Arron Brown, Deputy City Manager. “This project was important to the City of Palm Springs not only for its enhancement of the traveler experience but also because of the need to accommodate the growth at Palm Springs International Airport.”
Another project currently underway is the replacement of all passenger boarding bridges at the airport. This $7 million project began in June and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
