Economic Impact

Since the creation of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority in 2003, San Diego International Airport and the region it serves have gained 10 new airlines providing non-stop flights to new domestic and international destinations. These new flights increase the options for business and leisure travelers, reducing travel time and cost, and improving tourism and convention business for the San Diego region. The Airport Authority’s air service development program is working aggressively to bring more non-stop destinations within easy and affordable reach, and at the greater frequencies business and other travelers need.

New air services are a strong economic benefit to the region:

• $2.3 billion a year is spent by visitors who arrive by air to San Diego

• Airport = $10 billion economic benefit to region

• By 2009, San Diego County will add 7,000 new hotel
  rooms. These new hotel visitors will require additional
  air service. For example, Las Vegas estimates that
  each new hotel room means 300 new passengers at
  Las Vegas McCarran International Airport.

New flights — both domestic and international — stimulate new visitors.

The Annual Contribution of a Typical Domestic and International Flight
to San Diego's Visitor Industry

Spending by New Visitors: This spending occurs only because a new flight was added. Without the new flight, simulation predicts that passengers would not visit and tourist/visitor revenue would not exist.

Other Visitor Spending: This spending would occur regardless of a new flight. These visitors would have found other means (connection, etc.) for visiting San Diego.

Assumptions: Includes only spending related to visitors to San Diego (hotel, restaurant, shopping).  Based on average load factor of 75% (airport-wide load factor was 81% in 2006). Only 54% of flights are San Diego visitors. ConVis data on average air visitor spending in the region ($430 domestic pppt) and ($737 international pppt).  Domestic aircraft 137-seat 737 and international aircraft 250-seat A340.  Daily flights.  Stimulation 20% based on historical: JetBlue stimulated SAN – NYC passengers 55% and Lufthansa stimulated Portland – Europe passengers 45%.

International Air Service Impact

You might wonder why so much effort is spent on securing international air service and the simple answer is that the value of a single international flight is several times greater than the value of another flight to Sacramento. International air service also has downstream benefits to related industries. International air service increases the number of international visitors to a region and international visitors tend to spend more and stay longer.

What is a Single Daily Nonstop International Flight Worth?