Mardi Gras Revelers Converge on New Orleans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 31, 2008, New Orleans – Mardi Gras is upon us at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and we are seeing our seasonal surge in passenger traffic.

Today, kicks off the busy Mardi Gras travel season at Armstrong International as people converge on the city for Mardi Gras, but it is also a day when many locals depart to take to the slopes or head out on that family vacation. The Airport is expected to see heavy passenger traffic from today, Thursday, January 31 through Sunday, February 10 with Wednesday, February 6 being the busiest travel day as Mardi Gras visitors depart the City and head home.

Passengers traveling over this holiday period should plan on arriving at the Airport two hours prior to their scheduled departure time. Armstrong International expects all flights to be at or near capacity throughout the Mardi Gras travel period.

While the number of flights to the city is reduced, the passenger loads on those flights are at an all time high with few, if any, seats available in and out of the city over Mardi Gras. This year, Armstrong is operating with approximately 80% of the flights it had prior to Katrina but several airlines have responded to the demand by adding extra sections. With these extra flight operations, Armstrong will have over 17,000 seats available on Friday, February 1 as revelers come to join the festivities and all the seats are expected to be full.

“While Mardi Gras is early this year, we are still seeing the high numbers of passengers arriving for the festivities,” stated Director of Aviation Sean C. Hunter. “In years past, before Katrina, there were still seats available to fly in for the Mardi Gras holiday, this year, like last year, we expect all flights to be at capacity.”

People coming to pick up arriving passengers at Armstrong International are encouraged to use the cell phone lot at the corner of Hollendey and Airline and wait for their passenger to call that they are waiting on the curb for pickup. You can also park in the Short-Term Airport Parking Garage and meet your passengers in the terminal and avoid circling the roadway system that is expected to be congested. Rates for the Short-term Airport Parking Garage are $2.00 for the first hour and $2.00 for each additional half-hour or portion thereof. The daily maximum is $15. The Long-term Parking Garage is also available at a daily rate of $12.00.

###

For further information, contact Michelle C. Wilcut, Public Relations Manager, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, at 504-464-3547 or 504-628-0250 (cell).