Airport traffic bodes well economically

For the second month in a row, passenger traffic at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers indicates this winter tourism season is off to a much better start than last year.

Hoteliers watch airport numbers carefully as a sign of room demand. In Fort Myers, at least, the numbers are encouraging (November passenger figures for airports in Tampa and Sarasota were not available at press time).

Nearly 653,000 passengers traveled through the Fort Myers airport in November, a 9% jump over the same month last year. In October, passenger traffic rose 13% over the same month in 2009.

The second month of increased passenger traffic reflects increased airline traffic and fuller planes. Indeed, the Fort Myers airport reported a 2.7% increase in takeoffs and landings in November.