NEW ORLEANS -- Passenger levels were up nearly 9 percent at Louisiana's largest commercial airport last month, with concert-goers, conventioners and football fans helping provide the boost.
Statistics released by Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport show there were 704,686 passengers on domestic, international and charter flights last month. That compares with 648,544 passengers in October 2008.
In the first 10 months of 2009, about 6.5 million passengers traveled through the suburban New Orleans airport. While that's down nearly 3 percent from 2008, airport spokeswoman Michelle Wilcut says officials are pleased with where things stand given the still-sluggish national economy. Heading into what's expected to be a busy Thanksgiving travel period, she says officials are hopeful 2009 will end essentially flat.
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