Palm Springs International Airport Busiest Summer Ever

Despite the ongoing pandemic in 2021 travel crushed the previous summer record set in 2019.

PALM SPRINGS, CA — Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) set its third monthly passenger record for the year, making 2021 its busiest summer on record, officials announced Wednesday.

The airport saw a total of 117,952 passengers in August, beating the previous August record of 97,941 passengers set in 2019 by 20.4 percent, according to airport officials. August 2021 numbers also beat August 2020 by over 220 percent.

The numbers recorded in August bring the airport’s overall passenger count for the three monthsJune through August to 191,547. The previous summer record was set in 2019 when the airport saw 153,361 total passengers.

Airport officials, who had forecasted passenger numbers to average around one-half that of 2019’s figures and didn’t expect them to return to pre-COVID numbers until early 2023, were completely suprised by the record breaking results this summer.

“This summer has provided an unexpected boost to the airport,” said Harry Barrett, assistant executive director of aviation at PSP. “These record passenger numbers have come along with more flights and nonstop routes which has helped us sustain and will ultimately help us recover from the pandemic more quickly than we had anticipated.”

The record numbers are due in part to the 20 percent increase in available flights from PSP in 2021. The airport recorded 2,493 scheduled departures this summer and a 41% increase in available seats compared to 2019. June through August 2019 offered 180,886 departing seats, and the same period in 2021 had 255,739 seats available to Coachella Valley residents.

The Uken Report stated the Palm Springs International Airport is the only commercial service airport in the Coachella Valley.

11 air carriers provide nonstop service to 35 airports in season, 30 in the United States and 5 in Canada.

US nonstop airports listed in alphabetical order include Atlanta, Austin, Bellingham, Boise, Boston, Chicago Midway, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas Love, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Des Moines, Eugene, Everett, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York City-JFK, Oakland, Phoenix, Portland, Provo, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle. Canadian nonstop routes include Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg.

Despite the record breaking summer, PSP’s overall 2021 numbers to date are nearly 34 percent less than 2019’s.

PSP is served by Air Canada, Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Flair, jetBlue, Southwest, Sun Country, United, and WestJet. Some airlines and routes operate only on a seasonal basis.