Bradley International Airport — CT Numbers

If you’re flying out of Bradley International Airport (BDL), you’re probably flying to Atlanta. According to data from the United States Department of Transportation, the top five destinations from Bradley are Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Orlando, and Chicago. If a recent trip to the airport has left you with the impression that the terminal in Windsor Locks has been more crowded than it used to be, you’re right. More people are flying in and out of BDL in recent months, as compared with the same period a year ago.

The other destinations reaching the top ten from Bradley are Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. In eight of the top ten destinations, with the exception of Detroit and Philadelphia, the number of passengers grew during the past year (October 2013 through September 2014) as compared with the previous 12-month period.

Recent additions to their schedules by carriers operating at Bradley may be influencing the numbers. United started daily nonstop service to Houston in October. JetBlue added flights to Tampa and Fort Myers and expanded service to Washington, DC earlier in the year and Southwest has added flights to Atlanta, heightening competition with Delta. top 10

The total number of “enplanements” has increased at Bradley in month-over-month comparisons for the first five months of the fiscal year that began on July 1, 2014, according to data provided on the Bradley airport website. The number of passengers arriving on flights at Bradley were up 11.59 percent in July from the same month the previous year, and up 12.62 percent in August, 9 percent in September, 4.7 percent in October, 3 percent in November. Data for December has not yet been published.

Between July 2013 and June 2014, the most popular months for travel from Bradley were the months of April (258,756), May (257,627) and December (255,144). If recent trends continue, this spring may bring record-setting months to the airport.

During the first six months of 2014, about 2.9 million passengers used Bradley. That was a 10.6 percent increase from the 2.6 million passengers who used the airport in the first half of 2013, according to published reports.

Southwest carries the largest percentage of passengers at Bradley, 26.4 percent. Delta is next with 16 percent, followed by JetBlue at 12.1 percent, US Airways with 9 percent and American with 7.7 percent. An assortment of smaller carriers carry 28 percent of the passengers, arriving and departing, at Bradley. airlines at BDL

The on-time performance of the airlines at Bradley remained virtually identical between November 2013 and October 2014, at 81 percent, compared with 82 percent a year ago. Among flights that have been delayed, the average duration of the delays has declined, from just over to just under an hour.

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Bradley International Airport has seen passenger traffic increase for two consecutive months, and is stepping up efforts to re-establish service to trans-Atlantic destinations. The Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) is working with the state’s business community and potential airline carriers to demonstrate the need for the overseas service. In May, passenger traffic at Bradley increased 9 percent, compared with a 7.8 percent decrease at T.F. Green Airport in Providence and a 9.5 percent decrease at Manchester Regional Airport in New Hampshire. Logan International Airport in Boston increased 7.5 percent that month.

During June, Bradley saw a 9.3 percent increase in passengers, while Providence saw a 7.3 percent decrease and Manchester saw passenger numbers drop by 14.6 percent. Logan experienced a 4.1 percent increase in June. July data was not yet available.

Kevin A. Dillon, Executive Director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, told members of the CAA at their August meeting that the state’s improved economy and ongoing efforts to add capacity at the airport are lead factors in the upbeat numbers. United Airlines recently announced plans to begin service to Houston in October. In June, JetBlue initiated service from Bradley to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.

Year to date, Dillon reported, passenger numbers at Bradley are up 10.6 percent, while Providence is down 6.8 percent, Manchester is down 13.0 percent, and Logan is up slightly, 4.4 percent.

The return of trans-Atlantic service to Bradley is one of the CAA’s top priorities, Dillon said. Much of the business case for trans-Atlantic routes depends on corporate clients outside the immediate Hartford-Springfield market, Dillon explained. He indicated that the CAA would be “orienting our advertising program for the next year” toward Fairfield County and Southeastern Connecticut, to include targeted outreach urging potential business customers to “give Bradley a try,” underscoring that “Bradley is a great option” compared with the New York airports.

The CAA is also poised to move forward with the demolition of the old Terminal B at Bradley, with the contract awarded to S&R Corporation of Lowell MA, with a price tag of $12, 572,622.75. The CAA anticipates that the demolition will begin before the end of this month, consistent with the airport’s strategic plan. The goal of the CAA is to make Connecticut’s airports more attractive to new airlines, bring in new routes, and support Connecticut’s overall economic development and growth strategy.

Members of the CAA also discussed a potential new retail business for the airport – Dairy Queen – and approved plans for a 20-year agreement with WFSB-TV for the lease of land at Bradley for a Doppler radar installation at Bradley, which would be relocated from Terminal B where it has been since 1999.

Bradley will also be enhancing band-with capacity of wi-fi at the airport, which has seen increased usage as passenger levels have increased.

Bradley International Airport is the second largest airport in New England. According to the most recent economic impact analysis, Bradley contributes $4 billion in economic activity to the state of Connecticut and the surrounding region, representing $1.2 billion in wages and 18,000 full-time jobs. The CAA was established in 2011 to develop, improve, and operate Bradley International Airport and the state’s five general aviation airports.