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What's behind the big 13% drop in passenger traffic through the Fort Myers airport in April compared with the same month a year ago?
Blame it on the bunny.
Easter came more than two weeks early this year, explains Victoria Moreland, the spokeswoman for Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers.
Because of the seasonal nature tourism, airlines cut back service to Florida after Easter, traditionally the last holiday weekend before summer and the time when winter residents head north.
April annual comparisons are always difficult because Easter falls on a different weekend each year. The year-over-year numbers compare unfavorably when Easter falls earlier than the prior year.
This year, AirTran, the airport's fourth-largest carrier, cut its traffic by 45% after Easter, contributing to the dramatic passenger decline. Other airlines cut back, too; Moreland says takeoffs and landings by passenger carriers fell 22.6% in April compared with April 2011.
Still, Moreland says if AirTran had maintained its schedule, passenger traffic would have probably declined 3% to 4% compared in April compared with the same month a year ago.
Next year, Easter will fall at the end of March and it'll probably make for another lousy year-over-year comparison for April. But comparisons will likely improve in 2014 when Easter falls at the end of April.
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