(Blountville, Tenn.)--The number of passengers using Tri-Cities Regional Airport increased 7 percent during the third quarter 2007 and rose 11 percent for September as compared to the same periods last year. Year-to-date, the Airport is still showing a modest decline of 1.2 percent.

"We began to see a modest shift in passenger growth after Allegiant Air began low fare service to Orlando Sanford in May. Allegiant will soon be adding additional flights, so the upward passenger trend should continue through the end of the year," said Melissa Thomas, TCRA director of marketing and air service development.

"While we’re extremely pleased with the success of the Allegiant service, it is our traditional airlines that continue to provide those all-important connections that allow our business community to thrive," Thomas points out. "We are proud that our traditional carriers have held relatively steady during a difficult summer. US Airways has had a particularly strong quarter with passenger increases in the double digits each month,"

In other categories reported, the amount of air cargo moving through the Airport rose nearly 96 percent for the quarter due to larger aircraft and more cargo transiting between other locations, and aircraft landed weights increased 6.5 percent. Total aircraft movements were up 3.2 percent for the quarter.