With 38% increase, airport shatters passenger traffic record in May

Passenger traffic at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport — also known by PIE, its airport code — rose by 38% from May 2021 to 2022, shattering the previous record set in 2019. The airport, which provides nonstop service to 65 destinations, saw a total of 221,004 departures and arrivals in May.

According to a mid-June news release, PIE’s passenger traffic is up 44%, year over year.

More records could fall as the facility gears up for what’s predicted to be an extremely busy Fourth of July holiday weekend. Long-term and economy parking lots are expected to fill to capacity, so the airport encourages travelers to get a ride to and from the airport, if possible, or allow extra time to park in an overflow lot and catch a shuttle to the terminal.

“We are anticipating a very busy July 4 week at PIE,” airport spokesperson Michele Routh says. “Last July, we had the busiest month in our history, and this July we have even more flights. Our long-term parking will close as soon as it fills up.”

Routh says 229 flights — 30 more than last year — are expected to depart between June 30 and July 6, while there will be 285 arriving flights, 27 more than last year, during that same period.