Colorado Springs Airport sees bump in travelers, but still down over 50% compared to 2019
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Colorado Springs Airport saw a 155% increase in travelers between June and July, with 26,696 passengers boarding planes in July, compared to only 10,460 in June.
Airport officials say numbers are only expected to go up as infection rates go down, but they're not out of the woods yet.
So far in 2020, 408,214 passengers have traveled through the COS Airport, which is 55% fewer than in 2019.
Their hardest hit was in April, when the airport saw an over 90% decrease in travel.
They’re hoping people traveling for business in the fall - or for the holidays - helps make up for any deficits. But they know people still may not feel safe in the air.
“We’re being very cautious with our budget," says Greg Phillips, Director of Aviation at Colorado Springs Airport. "We’re planning things, and we’re taking measures so we can weather this storm all the way to 2024 if it takes that long.”
Philips is optimistic that if they continue to implement strict safety protocol amongst passengers and staff, more people will feel comfortable to travel.
Mask or face coverings are required throughout the airport and on each of their four carriers - American, Frontier, Delta, and United.
Travelers at the airport will also find signage regarding best practices for social distancing, mask usage, plastic shield barriers, an increase of surface disinfection, and reduced touch-points in their travel experience.
Additionally, employees of all four carriers and the airport are being required by their employers to complete temperature scans before entering their workspace.
