LAS VEGAS (AP) - For only the third time in the last three years, McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas has reported a monthly increase in its passenger count.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports the number of people boarding and getting off flights at the airport in October was nearly 3.6 million, up 2 percent from the same month in 2009.
McCarran officials have predicted the airport's passenger count would be flat during the fiscal year.
Casino industry officials have said an economic rebound for Las Vegas hinges on an increase in airport traffic.
The passenger count climbed in October, despite a 42 percent decline for US Airways, which in 2009 began dismantling its hub operation in Las Vegas.
Nine domestic or foreign carriers picked up the slack with growth rates in double-digit percentages.