COUNTYWIDE : March Passenger Traffic Dips 6.7% at John Wayne

Fewer travelers used John Wayne Airport in March than during the same month last year, according to a report Wednesday.

About 640,000 passengers traveled through the airport last month, a decrease of 6.7% from March 1997, airport officials said, citing bad weather and lack of air-fare competition as likely factors.

Pat Markley, chief of public relations at the airport, said the numbers show normal fluctuations in passenger traffic.

“It is not a big enough decline to cause concern,” Markley said. “It is hard to draw a conclusion.

“There have not been as many bargain rates this year, and people are less likely to visit with El Nino weather,” Markley said.