Prepare For Heavy Summer Travel

May 17th, 2022 | Airport News

82,321 passengers chose ABE in April

(Hanover Township, PA) – All indications have signaled a strong return to pre-pandemic levels of travel at Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE). The resurgence continued in April by nearly eclipsing 2019 passenger traffic numbers (83,560).

Last month, 82,321 passengers traveled through ABE – a 45.5% increase from April 2021.

Month                Passengers          Percentage increase         Month                Passengers

Apr. ‘22                 82,321                              45.5%                    Apr. ‘21                  56,563

“During the past 14 months, ABE has experienced steady upticks in passenger traffic which certainly excites our staff and airline stakeholders.  We’re preparing for what’s expected to be busiest summer travel season in recent history,” said Thomas R. Stoudt, Executive Director, Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority (LNAA).

By the numbers, Allegiant reported a massive passenger traffic increase of 60.4%, Delta jumped 44.4%, United moved up 31.3%, and American finished 26.3% ahead of last April.

With family vacations and heavy volumes of air travelers expected from May-August, we advise all passengers departing between 5:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. to arrive at least 2 hours before their morning flight to ensure you reach your gate for on-time boarding.

Travel tips to remember:

• Boarding begins 30-minutes prior to departure
• Checked bags will not be accepted less than 30 minutes before departure
• Aircraft doorsclose 15 minutes before their posted departure time, and will not reopen
• With (2) TSA Checkpoint processing lanes operating at ABE, there is the potential for additional wait times due to a heavy volume of passengers

“Not giving yourself extra time to park, check-in, process through TSA and reach your gate could result in missing your flight,” said Stoudt.

15,385,108 pounds of air cargo was processed through Lehigh Valley International Airport in April – a decrease of 20.7% from April 2021.

Month                Cargo (lbs.)              Percentage decrease             Month            Cargo (lbs.)

Apr. ’22               15,385,108                             20.7%                         Apr.’21            19,414,733