PHOENIX — Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) saw its total passenger numbers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport drop more than 9% in November, which caused the airport’s total monthly passenger count to decline as well.
In November, typically one of the busiest months for travel due to the Thanksgiving holiday, Southwest flew a total of 1,207,585 passengers into or out of Phoenix. That was 121,136 fewer than the airline did in November 2018, according to a report published Dec. 30 by the city of Phoenix Aviation Department.
Southwest, the second-largest carrier operating at Sky Harbor, is still suffering the effects from the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX jet, which it frequently used on routes to Phoenix. At the time the planes were grounded the company operated 34 Max jets and was expected to have 75 by the end of 2019.
Southwest has had to pull about 300 flights a day from its schedule because of the grounded jet. In November Southwest landed 4,777 flights at Sky Harbor, which is 7.6% less than in November 2018.
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