--- In BATN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "3/19 KCBS Radio" <batn@xxxx> wrote: Published Friday, March 19, 2004, by KCBS Radio AM 740 Air travel on the rise at SFO More travelers are moving in and out of San Francisco International Airport now than in the past few years, indicating the facility may be slowly shaking off its economic slump KCBS reporter George Harris says a slow economy, terrorism and the SARS outbreak have given airports across the country a one-two-three punch. Airport spokesman Mike McCarron said spring break travel is helping thaw the slump. "We saw a bump in traffic this past weekend," he said. "We saw a lot of increased travel to leisure destinations like Hawaii, Cancun, other places." Many flights "are expected to be near capacity," said McCarron. "Right now everything is looking 90 percent or better over the next couple of weeks with spring break travel." A 14 percent increase in the economy over the same time last year has helped. "On the domestic side, we're about one or two points higher than we were last year," McCarron said. "The international traffic has been a lot higher, but that's not necessarily great news, because last year at this time, we were battling SARS." But the rebound is not expected to be huge. "People just don't have the extra cash to travel either for business or for leisure." He told KCBS the pickup will most likely continue until Easter and then slow again until Memorial Day A report by San Francisco based PKF Consulting credits new flights at SFO for increasing occupancy rates at nearby airport hotels. Airline passenger traffic grew in January for only the second time in 12 months. --- End forwarded message ---