Blue Grass Airport Serves More Passengers in October 2002 Than in Any Month in 56 Year History of the Facility

Lexington, KY – In October 2002 Blue Grass Airport served more passengers than in any single month of the facility's 56 year history. During the month, 102,255 passengers arrived or departed from Lexington 's airport. The previous record of 100,905 was set in October 1997.

During October, passenger activity at Lexington 's Blue Grass Airport increased by 53% over the same month in 2001. The increase of over 35,000 passengers continued the airport's impressive rebound from the downturn in air travel resulting from a slowing economy and the attacks of September 11, 2001 .

Passenger activity at Blue Grass Airport has consistently outperformed many other airports in the nation in recent months and this strong performance clearly indicates that the air travel market in Lexington is again on the rise. For the first ten months of 2002, Blue Grass Airport has served 784,733 passengers; an increase of 5% over the same period in 2001.

During the month four airlines set individual boarding records: Continental Express, Northwest Airlink , and Delta Connection carriers ASA, and Comair. Since September 11, 2001 , Lexington 's airport began service to three new destinations – Houston , TX , New York , NY and Chicago 's Midway Airport - and introduced one new airline, ATA Connection.

“The airport continues to see travelers from the Lexington , Central and Eastern Kentucky region re-discover the convenience, competitive air service and lower fares available at Blue Grass Airport . With more flights, destinations and choice local travelers are finding they no longer need to drive to other cities to find their best travel option,” said Jon Zachem , Chairman of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Airport Board.

Michael Gobb, Executive Director said, "The airport will continue to aggressively pursue new non stop destinations, additional flights and increased competition while maintaining a high level of convenience for our customers. We have accomplished many of our initial marketing goals, however, a number of very lucrative opportunities for new airline service from Lexington still exist. We anticipate additional service announcements in the future!"

Top Five Months for Passenger Activity at Blue Grass Airport:

1. 102,255 October 2002
2. 100,905 October 1997
3. 100,721 July 1997
4. 98,974 October 2000
5. 98,180 June 1997

Blue Grass Airport is served by six major airline brands providing convenient non-stop service to 11 major hub cities and direct service to destinations worldwide.