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MEDFORD AIRPORT United Express jumps 31 percent with bigger jets Comment By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness Posted Jun. 14, 2016 at 1:51 PM Updated Jun 14, 2016 at 5:00 PM By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness Posted Jun. 14, 2016 at 1:51 PM Updated Jun 14, 2016 at 5:00 PM » Social News United Express is making a comeback in the Rogue Valley. The remnant of a legacy airline that once flew Boeing 737s into the Medford airport has played second fiddle to Alaska Air Group for a decade. United and United Express formed a dominant combination before Alaska's Horizon Air unit surpassed the carrier in late 2005. The tandem routinely accounted for more than 20,000 passengers a month during an era when 30,000 was a good month. But after United ended its Medford-Portland flights, United Express numbers tailed off as Alaska beefed up its Portland and Seattle service. In February 2014, United Express dipped to a low-water mark of 9,966 passengers. The trend has reversed dramatically, however, since United Express, operated by SkyWest Airlines, began flying 76-passenger Embraer-manufactured E175s to Southern Oregon last year. Last month, United Express' passenger count jumped 31.5 percent to 21,622 on its Denver and San Francisco routes, the first time the airline topped 20,000 in Medford since October 2010. The increase fueled the biggest May in airport history as 70,414 travelers passed through the gates. "I always hoped we would get to that point, but I didn't think it was going to be this year," airport Director Bern Case said. "We've been at 6, 7, 8, 9 percent over last year — but 14 percent? Holy cow, that's a monster month." Alaska, which accounted for about half the traffic, was up 9.1 percent, while Delta Connection was up 13.1 percent. For the first five months of 2016, 301,965 travelers have passed through the gates, up 9.9 percent from a year ago. Case said the past 12 months have seen 785,274 passengers at the airport, well ahead of last year's 757,971 annual record. "If we can stay 6 percent ahead of last year," he said, "we could hit 800,000; that's not out of reach." United's rebound has come without discounting its fares to the Bay Area, historically among the highest fares in the industry. "They've been kind of constant," Case said. "For a market our size, they're competitive, but there haven't been tremendous bargains." While Alaska has fares from Medford to Seattle for $114, the lowest price on the United website to San Francisco this summer is $193. Veteran travel writer Ed Perkins, who resides in Ashland, said costs are relative for people using San Francisco as a stepping stone. "What you see in the United numbers is not so much a reflection of the traffic between here and San Francisco, but between here and everywhere else by way of San Francisco," Perkins said. In times past, when PSA, Continental and others tried to challenge United's San Francisco market share, United cut its rates and drove out the competition. But with Alaska Air Group acquiring Virgin America, whose primary West Coast base is San Francisco, Perkins thinks Alaska may choose to take advantage. "Alaska is going to have increased motivation to fly from here to San Francisco because it is Virgin America's biggest point," he said. "It's going to take an airline with staying power and clout to cut fares to San Francisco, and Alaska would be the most obvious candidate right now. But I don't know what they're planning, and I'm not sure they know exactly what they are going to do with Virgin America yet, either." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness , 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 Jun. 14, 2016 at 1:51 PM Updated Jun 14, 2016 at 5:00 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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