WARWICK – Passenger traffic at T.F. Green Airport (PVD) last month lagged year-ago levels for the fifth consecutive month, although the gap narrowed slightly from the month before, based on the latest data from the R.I. Airport Corporation. Cargo traffic at the airport also fell compared with a year ago, despite a slight increase in mail shipments.

The total number of passengers passing through T.F. Green during the month was 368,416. Compared with September 2007, when 415,507 travelers passed through the airport, traffic fell 11.33 percent, compared with year-over-year declines of 11.68 percent in August (READ MORE) and 9.41 percent in July. Compared with August 2008’s 439,137 passengers, traffic fell 16.10 percent in September – a month when air travel traditionally has declined – after rising 1.95 percent the month before and 2.47 percent in July.

The number of passengers boarding planes at the airport fell 10.44 percent year-over-year to 187,006, after falling 11.68 percent in August and 9.56 percent in July. Compared with the preceding month’s 221,326, the number of passengers enplaned at T.F. Green fell 15.51 percent in September after rising 3.66 percent in August and 3.11 percent in July.

The airport’s January-through-September passenger total of 3.59 million lagged the year-ago total by 5.73 percent, while the 1.80 million passengers enplaned in the period fell 5.44 percent short of the total for the first three calendar quarters of 2007.

Among passenger carriers, Southwest Airlines remained No. 1 at T.F. Green, with 174,949 passengers at the airport and a 47.5-percent market share. US Airways remained No. 2 with 84,421 passengers, or 22.9 percent, followed by United Airlines with 34,031 passengers, or 9.2 percent.

Delta Airlines was No. 4 with 22,585 passengers, or 6.1 percent. Close behind were Northwest Airlines with 21,868 passengers, or 5.9 percent of the airport’s September total, and Continental with 21,541 passengers, or 5.9 percent.

American Eagle – which next month plans to terminate service at T.F. Green and several other hubs (READ MORE) – was No. 7 with 3,547 passengers, or 1.0 percent. Hyannis Air had 3,334 passengers, or 0.9 percent of last month’s total at T.F. Green. Bringing up the rear were charter planes with 1,085 passengers, or 0.3 percent of the airport’s September total, and Air Canada with 1,055, or 0.3 percent.

Total cargo shipments through T.F. Green last month amounted to 2.53 million pounds. Traffic was down 29.82 percent from September 2007, compared with year-over-year declines of 35.25 percent in August and 29.94 percent in July. Freight shipments last month amounted to 1.94 million pounds, a 36.10-percent decline from the year-ago 3.04 million pounds. But mail shipments through the airport in September rose to 588,303 pounds, a 3.96-percent increase from the year-ago 565,900 pounds.

Compared with the month before, September cargo traffic fell 4.17 percent, after dipping 0.38 percent in August to 2.64 million pounds and rising 3.51 percent in July. Freight shipments fell 8.06 percent from the preceding month’s 2.11 million pounds, while mail shipments rose 10.45 percent from August’s 532,659-pound total.

Year-to-date, total cargo shipments were down 27.96 percent in the first nine months of 2008 to 23.56 million pounds. Freight led the decline, with year-to-date shipments plunging 32.32 percent to 18.52 million pounds. Mail shipments fell 5.65 percent to 5.04 million pounds from the 5.34 million pounds of the first nine months of 2007.

The R.I. Airport Corporation is a quasi-public organization, based at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, that oversees Green and the state’s five general aviation airports. Additional information is available from RIAC at www.pvdairport.com.