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Airport's steady growth continues Outside airlines begin to show interest By DAVID PRESZLER The number of people flying in and out of Medford continues to rise, and officials expect this year's total to top 453,000. Last month was the best November ever for the airport in terms of passenger traffic -- the 23rd time in the past 24 months a monthly record has been set. Arrivals and departures were up 6.7 percent from the same month last year to 35,243. "This is the largest percentage jump we've seen all year," says Bern Case, the airport's director. Case said population growth in the area and the addition of passenger service to Seattle by Horizon Airlines were behind the surge at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport. This year's growth has been steady but not as spectacular as last year's, which saw November's monthly record eclipsed by 17 percent. "What's happened is that we've had the initial growth," says Kim Stearns, the airport's marketing representative. "This year the jumps haven't been as big but they have been consistent." Stearns says 1997's boom was driven by the addition of Shuttle By United, a branch of United Airlines that began featuring lower-cost service to San Francisco in October 1996. Though 1998's growth hasn't been as eye-popping, passenger travel is up 3.5 percent from last year. Airport officials say airlines are taking notice of the increases. "We have had several low-profile visits from outside air carriers," says Stearns. "As the passenger numbers increase so does the interest of the carriers. They are watching the growth in our region." When growth will be enough to prompt another airline to add service here is hard to say. "Without a doubt, we are getting closer and closer," Stearns says. More airlines and higher passenger totals generally drive airfares down, but Case says he doesn't expect dramatic changes soon. "It's a subtle deal," he says. "It moves like a snail, but it's headed in right direction." Airports nationwide are divided into four categories based on the percentage of national passengers who depart from them: large hub, medium hub, small hub and nonhub. Case says Medford is trying to move from being a nonhub airport to a small hub like Eugene. To be a small hub, Medford would need to have about 325,000 departing passengers a year. Because it is based on a percentage of national air travelers, that figure can change from year to year as the number of travelers fluctuates. Case estimates the airport will log about 220,000 departures this year. The growth of the past few years is encouraging, he says. "We've gone up about 75,000 departing passengers over the last four years," he says. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA