New airline routes boost Anchorage summer passenger traffic to record

Passenger traffic at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport reached new heights this summer, hitting record numbers for the season as airlines offered more routes, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities reported Wednesday.

The airport saw an extra 76,000 passengers between May and September, a 2.5% increase and a second straight summer of growth.

The reasons include:

• Newly arrived Allegiant Airlines began providing summer seasonal service to Bellingham, Washington.

• Airlines offered new routes: United Airlines increased service to Newark, with daily flights; Sun Country airlines added direct service to Las Vegas; Delta Air Lines added flights to Salt Lake City; and Alaska Airlines added flights to Seattle.

• American Airlines increased capacity by flying larger aircraft to Dallas and Phoenix.

"The holiday travel season should bolster the growth we’ve seen this year, and with new airlines like Eurowings announced for next summer we will continue to grow passenger traffic to the benefit of Alaska,” said Jim Szczesniak, airport manager.

More than 5 million fliers travel trough the airport annually, the agency said.