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United is packing them in, Delta is still climbing, and Alaska Airlines appears to have leveled off. The Medford airport maintained its rare-air performance, notching another record month in October, as 91,083 travelers passed through the gates. That’s an 11.2 percent year-over-year jump from the 81,887 fliers a year ago. The airport has posted records in 52 of the past 54 months since escaping the effects of the Great Recession. Through 10 months, the airport has seen 838,401 passengers, up 12.7 percent from 743,741 a year ago. United enhanced its market leadership with more than 35,000 passengers in October, while Delta traffic was up about a third. Even with two legacy airlines soaring, Alaska reported the same amount of paying customers — to go with another 1,525 non-revenue passengers in October. The Seattle-based airline continues to duke it out with Delta for Seattle passengers. On Monday, United applied more pressure on Alaska when it announced service from Paine Field in Everett, north of downtown Seattle, to San Francisco and Denver. “United was the premier carrier on the West Coast before it was overtaken by Alaska and Southwest,” said Alan Bender, an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University professor who lives in Ashland. “Even though Seattle is not a hub for United, it still feels the pressure to be competitive with Alaska at one of its hubs.” There’s an unwritten rule among major airlines to try to stay out of competitors’ backyards, he said. “You poach from their hub, and they’ll poach from your hub,” Bender said. That creates fare wars, sort of like what you see between Alaska and Delta on the route between Seattle and Medford.” The airport remains on course to break the million-passenger mark sometime in December. Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter @ GregMTBusiness or www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31 .