Passenger numbers soar at Arnold Palmer airport; air show proceeds likely to disappoint

Arnold Palmer Regional Airport closed May 2021 with the highest passenger numbers during that calendar month that it has seen in six years.

But the Unity airport also ended the month with an air show that was hampered by poor weather and ticket sales that turned out to be less robust than originally thought.

The Westmoreland County Airport Authority reported a combined inbound and outbound passenger total of 31,589 in May.

Up from 25,756 in April, it continues a sharp increase in passengers that began in March, as the air travel industry has emerged from a year of depressed activity triggered by the covid-19 pandemic.

Last month’s passenger total dwarfs that from May 2020 — 1,992, during the first wave of the pandemic. But it also is an improvement on the passenger figures from the same month in each of the prior four years, placing second to the 35,667 passengers the airport served in May 2015.

The all-time peak, since Spirit Airlines began regular commercial flights at the airport in February 2011, was 39,440 passengers, in August 2015. The most recent total that exceeded 30,000 passengers, before last month, was 30,747, in April 2019.

Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo acknowledged the rebound from covid restrictions has been a major factor in the airport’s rising passenger totals. He noted many of those passengers are leisure travelers headed to Myrtle Beach, S.C., or other Spirit destinations in Florida.

“Of course people are eager to get back out into the world and travel,” he said, “but I think there is much more to it than that.”

Monzo cited recent improvements at the airport, including the addition of a second passenger boarding bridge, expansion of the terminal’s secure passenger holding area, and an $18 million project to widen and strengthen the runway.

“We have also improved in our collaboration with Spirit,” he said. “I truly believe that the way we do business here is paying dividends.”

Air show report

After skipping an air show in 2020 because a headlining act wasn’t available, the airport staged one Saturday and Sunday with a new drive-in format. Attendance was limited because of uncertainty during planning of how the pandemic would progress. Just 1,000 vehicles per day were allowed, with up to eight passengers per vehicle, plus a smaller number of VIP seats.

Officials initially indicated 90% or more of tickets had been sold for the show. But, according to Monzo, with some tickets being returned, that figure was reduced to about 70%.

While final figures weren’t yet available Thursday, he said the authority doesn’t expect there will be any surplus revenue from the air show, which was to have been donated to the Westmoreland County Food Bank.

Instead, he said, the authority plans to create an area at the airport terminal where travelers and other visitors can donate non-perishable items for the food bank.

Despite cloudy weather that grounded several acts on Saturday, including the headlining Blue Angels, Monzo said he was pleased with the show’s eventual outcome.

Weather improved enough on Sunday for all scheduled acts to take flight, except for the Navy Leap Frogs parachute team.

“It was a very challenging show,” he said. “We knew it would be when we went into it. I’m pleased that we made it through safely and securely.”

As an added feature, planners had hoped to kick off each day of the show by having four planes fly over various Westmoreland County communities in a “Heroes’ Tribute Flight” honoring pandemic front line workers. That effort was canceled because of the weather, but Monzo said he would like to attempt it again for future air shows.

“I think everybody was anxious to do that, and they were very disappointed at not being able to do it,” he said.

Livestreaming of the air show, in partnership with LHTC Media, was a new facet of the show that came off successfully and may be considered again, Monzo said.

“It was pretty interesting, and it created a new opportunity for our sponsors to get their word out,” he said.

He said complaints from spectators about the lack of static aircraft displays on the ground — another pandemic-influenced decision — underlined the importance of restoring that feature for future shows.

Monzo cited 40,000 as an estimate of the number of people who turned out. In addition to those who bought tickets, he noted many people parked on properties surrounding the airport to enjoy the aerobatics.

After Saturday’s scaled-back schedule, disappointed attendees were given the option to return for any future air show. About 160 vehicles that arrived on Saturday returned on Sunday, Monzo said.

“We were able to accommodate them, and we were very pleased with that,” he said. “We wanted to make every attempt to be as fair as possible.”