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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Chinese site uses Medford domain name for car scam ... Medford teen sentenced for assaulting baby ... Mercy Flights debuts new helicopter ... Chinese site uses Medford domain name for car scam ... Medford teen sentenced for assaulting baby ... Mercy Flights debuts new helicopter ... TRANSPORTATION Medford airport flies past January record More than 50,000 passengers took to the air locally Comment By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 11, 2015 at 5:27 PM Updated Feb 12, 2015 at 11:46 AM By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 11, 2015 at 5:27 PM Updated Feb 12, 2015 at 11:46 AM » Social News It was a January like no other at the Medford airport. Following a record-breaking year capped by the biggest December ever, the Jackson County-owned airport saw 50,765 travelers pass through its gates last month, smashing the previous record of 44,910, set in 2008, by nearly 6,000 people. "I can't remember when we had a month like this," said airport Director Bern Case. "We thought we might hit 50,000 this year, but we got it and some change." The 22.8 percent jump in activity reflects at least three things: Declining pump prices, which put more money in consumers' pockets during the fall and into the new year. Lower operational costs as energy prices declined, which led Alaska Airlines to aggressively market lower fares via the Internet. Gains from the Klamath Basin after commercial flights from Klamath Falls stopped last spring. Alaska also added a Medford-Portland departure in January and increased its seating capacity by 17 percent to Seattle. "We've definitely had growing demand for our Seattle hub and a lot of connections through Seattle and Portland," Alaska Airlines spokesperson Halley Knigge said. "The lower fares have stimulated new traffic out of Medford." While the loss of air service in Klamath County played a role, Case said, it was far from the largest reason for the big jump. "Klamath averaged 2,000 passengers a month, yet we were up between 10,000 and 11,000," Case said. "There is a Klamath factor, but even if we said 2,500 came over, it would only be a small amount of the increase. We just have a lot of good things lining up." The combined totals for December and January exceeded 108,000 passengers, topping the 100,000 mark for that 62-day period for the first time. All four commercial carriers saw year-over-year increases, led by United Express' 32.7 percent gain and Alaska's 25.5 percent advance. "Usually somebody lags little," Case said. "But absolutely every airline was up this time." The year-over-year jump is the biggest since the 29 percent spike in September 2002, which reflected a rebound from the disastrous impacts of the 9/11 attacks. An even bigger bounce came in October 1995 when the passenger count jumped 39 percent over the previous year. Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or  [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at  www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness , on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31 , and read his blog at  www.mailtribune.com/Economic Edge .   By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 11, 2015 at 5:27 PM Updated Feb 12, 2015 at 11:46 AM » 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... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site 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. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501