PIE logs one of best years ever

CLEARWATER — St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) reported its December passenger traffic was up 39% over last year and its traffic for the year increased 17% over 2012. Its passenger traffic for December was 97,098, boosting its total traffic for 2013 to 1.02 million passengers.

The airport posted eight consecutive months of double-digit increases in passengers compared with 2012. Beginning in May, PIE posted 28%, 28%, 21%, 19%, 14%, 16%, 20%, and 39% increases over the same month in 2012.

“This is PIE's fourth-largest passenger year in its history since beginning commercial passenger service in the 1950s,” Airport Director Noah Lagos says in a press release. “In a recent survey, Allegiant Airlines now ranks as Tampa Bay's eighth-largest airline in passenger numbers and second in nonstop flights with 31 destinations. We are looking forward to an outstanding 2014 with the addition of Airbus A-320 aircraft to the Allegiant fleet based at PIE and more non-stop destinations.”

Additional service from Beau Rivage Resort & Casino/Vision Airlines and Sunwing Airlines increased the airport's total number of nonstop destinations to 34.