Blountville, TN-Tri-Cities Regional Airport finished 2009 on the upswing with an 8.1 percent increase in passengers as compared to the year ending 2008. While this was good news for the year, much of the increase came during the spring and summer season as airlines reduced fares to stimulate traffic.

"In the fall, the airlines began reducing the number of flights and available seats in an effort to fill planes and increase average ticket prices," said TCRA marketing director Melissa Thomas. "While fourth quarter passenger numbers still came in 2.7 percent over the previous year, we anticipate the reduction in seats will show a negative impact on numbers for first quarter 2010."

The good news for spring and summer travel is that the carriers are making adjustments in their schedules to add back capacity in anticipation of the busy vacation season.

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