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AIR TRAVEL Record streak continues at Medford airport Airport sees two straight years and 16 straight months of passenger records Comment By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness Posted Jan. 13, 2016 at 4:41 PM Updated Jan 13, 2016 at 5:32 PM By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness Posted Jan. 13, 2016 at 4:41 PM Updated Jan 13, 2016 at 5:32 PM » Social News Commercial air travel at the Medford airport soared to new heights in 2015, surpassing the three-quarters-of-a-million mark. The all-time passenger record was supplanted long before year's end, leaving officials only heady guesses about the final count. A record December capped the Jackson County-operated airport's best year ever as 64,365 travelers passed through the gates, pushing the annual total to 757,971, a 14 percent jump over the previous standard of 664,423 set in 2014. The back-to-back all-time highs were the first since a string of four consecutive record years ended in 2008. "All the stars lined up really well," said airport Director Bern Case. "The economy was reasonably good; fuel prices were reasonably low; the airlines increased the size of aircraft; adding bits and pieces of capacity; each airline was up; and the Klamath thing added a percent or two. All those things came together nicely." While the cessation of commercial flights out of Klamath Falls in mid-2014 contributed to that year's record performance, Rogue Valley business and leisure pursuits far outweighed that contribution in 2015. Case admitted double-digit gains every month caught him by surprise. "It would've been a good year just being up," he said. "But that's what made it a fantastic year this year." The airport is now working on a streak of 16 straight record months, the longest streak since a 19-month span that ended March 2008. Monthly gains in 2015 ranged from 22.8 percent to 10.9 percent as airlines brought in larger airplanes to facilitate demand. "We're looking seriously at how to expand our parking," Case said. "We put in some gravel to get us through the holidays, which worked well. But we're looking at something more permanent." Parking pressure may grow if the trend continues for travelers to fly out of Medford rather than regional hubs. "One significant improvement has been the substitution (by United Express) of regional jets for the little (30-passenger) Brasilias," said Ashland-based travel writer Ed Perkins. "I think that got a few more people traveling. And the fare structures may have gotten to where people didn't have to drive to Sacramento or Portland as often as in times past. If they can get decent connecting fares, instead of driving four or five hours to Sacramento or Portland, they're originating out of the Rogue Valley." Looking ahead, Perkins suggested Medford will have to play to its strength of filling regional planes to hubs rather than attracting a legacy carrier with routes to new destinations. "As the market grows, the existing routes will be strengthened," he said. His point is underscored by an additional northbound Alaska flight, giving the airport 18 daily departures, one more than a year ago. While summer flights to Mesa, serving the Phoenix market, might be in Allegiant Air's future, Perkins suggested an additional Alaska/Horizon flight to Los Angeles would fill a need. "I used Horizon flights to Los Angeles a couple of times last year," he said. "When I was flying overseas on frequent flyer miles and couldn't get Medford on my ticket, I flew down to Los Angeles; right now Los Angeles is cheaper than San Francisco." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31 . By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness Posted Jan. 13, 2016 at 4:41 PM Updated Jan 13, 2016 at 5:32 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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