South Bend airport could bust through 2019 travel numbers with new Allegiant service

SOUTH BEND ― The new service that Allegiant Air officially announced Monday to Knoxville, Tenn., should help South Bend International Airport finally exceed passenger totals that haven’t been seen since before the pandemic.

In 2023, the airport fell about 1.3% short of the 832,445 who flew in and out of the airport in 2019 ― the airport’s high-water mark over the past 15 years, according to Mike Daigle, the airport’s executive director.

But with the resumption of service to Detroit by Delta Air Lines in September and the addition of the new Allegiant service in the coming months, airport officials are confident that 2019 totals will be surpassed this year.

Detroit service: Delta restarting service from South Bend to Detroit on Sept. 10

“I’m 100% confident,” said Julie Curtis, vice president of marketing and air service development.

Competing with other cities, South Bend airport officials routinely meet with airlines to discuss the possibility of offering new destinations or larger aircraft with additional seats to the market.

Though most don’t believe business travel is fully back to where it was prior to the pandemic, the South Bend airport has rebounded by convincing airlines to add both destinations and seats, Curtis said.

But perhaps the biggest factor in the airport’s recovery has been the loyalty the local market has shown when booking trips for leisure or business travel, Curtis said.

“There’s strong demand in the market, and people are supporting the service,” she said.

During a press conference Monday morning at the airport to announce the new service by Allegiant, Jeff Rea, president and CEO of the South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce, discussed that factor.

"The leisure destinations they (Allegiant) offer to our travelers here are really critical to our quality of place," Rea said. "The fact that these continue to happen here is a real testament to the people that fly in and out of the airport. We get the service that we support."

Curtis said that about 60% of the airport's traffic comes from local residents flying elsewhere and 40% from visitors coming to the South Bend area.

Daigle and Curtis indicated that an average of 85% to 90% of the seats are filled on planes leaving the airport, which is a strong selling point for the South Bend market when they’re meeting with airlines.

“We’re the second busiest airport in Indiana, but we’re not the second biggest city,” Daigle said. “We’re punching above our weight class.”

He said the airport had been working on getting Tennessee as a destination because of the amount of leisure travel to the state, which can be gleaned from hotel bookings and other sources.

But he said the airport also continues to seek regular service to New York and Denver because those are the two most requested destinations by local travelers.

Currently, the airport offers direct service to Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Dallas-Fort Worth, Charlotte, Las Vegas, Phoenix/Mesa, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Punta Gorda/Ft. Myers, Orlando/Sanford and Sarasota/Bradenton.

The new service will be offered on Mondays and Fridays starting June 14 and continuing through at least Nov. 11 between South Bend International and McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, which is a gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and other attractions.

Several years ago, the airport introduced a trip calculator aimed at stopping the loss of passengers from the South Bend market to Midway International and O’Hare International airports in Chicago. The calculator factors in the cost of mileage, tolls, parking fees and travel time to help travelers make an informed decision.

The airport announced Monday in a press release that Allegiant is offering introductory promotional fares. For South Bend to Knoxville, passengers can book some one-way flights for as low as $45 by Feb. 13 for travel by Nov. 11.

Email Tribune staff writer Ed Semmler at esemmler@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend International expects a full pandemic recovery in 2024