Chattanooga businessman Dell Hamilton says he flies every week and picks Lovell Field if he can find a ticket within $60 of what he'd pay at an airport at a nearby city.
"I hate going to Atlanta," he said last week at Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport.
More people are using Lovell Field, officials say. Passenger boardings grew 3 percent in 2009 to the third highest level in the airport's recorded history.
"We're just excited about a great year in a difficult economic time," said Mike Landguth, Lovell Field's chief executive.
Boardings of 310,414 last year were just 790 passengers off the airport's all-time high of 311,204 in 1993, according to the airport.
Mr. Landguth cited a 17 percent drop in average fares out of Chattanooga last year over 2008, along with area economic growth, for the higher traffic.
"Fares have helped to stimulate traffic along with some positive economic growth from the auto cluster and the energy cluster," he said.
Construction of Volkswagen's new auto assembly plant is a large part, Mr. Landguth said. Production is slated to start in 2011, and tier one and tier two suppliers are starting to develop their businesses, he said.
The fare drops relate to competitive decisions by airlines serving Chattanooga, Mr. Landguth said.
Delta Air Lines' affiliate, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, sharply boosted flights between the city and Atlanta to 10 a day in 2009, he said. That was as Delta ended flights between Chattanooga and Cincinnati.
Chattanooga area travelers warmed to the extra ASA service, with its boardings rising 58 percent in 2009, airport figures show.
The airport recorded its high traffic marks despite a drop from low-fare carrier Allegiant Air in 2009. Allegiant grounded Fort Lauderdale-Chattanooga service last year.
Still, the carrier remains a popular choice among Chattanooga area fliers, having flown just under 20 percent of all passengers in 2009, figures show.
Jim Kowalski of Clearwater, Fla., said at Lovell Field that he likes Allegiant's discount fares. He said was flying for $109 roundtrip from Chattanooga to Tampa Bay.
"Hartsfield is a major jam-up," he said about Atlanta's busy airport. Mr. Kowalski said Lovell Field is more convenient.
"It's easy in, easy out," he said.
As for 2010, Mr. Landguth said he doesn't expect significant growth in traffic, citing the overall national economy.
"If we're flat...I'd be happy with that," he said. "If we hang onto what we've got, we'll do very well."
Concerning service additions, Mr. Landguth said it's looking for opportunities from airlines such as Delta and US Airways. Delta and US Airways are trying to work out a deal with the Federal Aviation Administration regarding New York and Washington, D.C., service, he said.
Mr. Landguth said airlines these days are looking for routes which are "slam dunks" when it comes to making money.