MARTINSBURG — Contour Airlines’ overall passenger numbers at the Altoona-Blair County Airport are up 7% compared to last year at this time, airport manager Tracy Plessinger said at an authority board meeting Wednesday.

According to Plessinger, Contour officials were expecting to see passenger numbers drop off because fuel and fare prices are both up. But they’re pleased with the airport’s daily service to Charlotte Douglas International Airport and seasonal flights to Myrtle Beach, which run every Wednesday and Saturday through Aug. 22.

Seats for the eight-week run, which began last week, are currently booked at 75% capacity, Plessinger said, noting if you take out the last two outbound flights, the airport has sold 82% of the available seats.

Contour has only sold about seven seats each on the last two outbound flights, according to Plessinger, who said officials don’t expect the flights to sell out, as there won’t be any returning flights back to the airport in Martinsburg.

Plessinger said he received four phone calls from people Wednesday inquiring how to book tickets for the Myrtle Beach flights.

One person reportedly asked Plessinger about the cost for the flights, which start at $139 one-way or $278 round trip, and said Spirit Airlines was a lot cheaper.

“I always say, ‘Uh, and where’s Spirit now?’ But then the next guy calls and he says, ‘Man, that is a deal. I’m going to book that right now,'” Plessinger said.

Contour is doing the same flight to Myrtle Beach from two airports in West Virginia, both of which are reportedly “not getting anywhere close to the numbers we’re getting here,” Plessinger said.

Plessinger said Contour’s overall completion rate for May was 97%. Although enplanements were down 7% from May, Plessinger said Contour officials are pleased the airport’s enplanements are up year over year.

Contour carried 1,873 passengers outbound and inbound in June at the Altoona-Blair County Airport, Plessinger said.

La Fiesta’s sales for June were down 21% from May and down 9% from June 2025, Plessinger said, noting June was a record sales month for Coffee Coop.

The coffee shop’s sales were up 18% from May and up 46% from June 2025, he said, adding the shop has many regular customers and is often utilized by airport employees.

Avis/Budget sales for June were up 48% from May but down 12% year over year because of limited availability of one-way vehicles, Plessinger said.

In his written report, Avis/Budget manager Nick Bechtel said the airport maintained full availability for local rentals. However, one-way rentals remained unavailable online for the entire month.

As of Tuesday, one-way rentals are available to book online for the first time in two months, which Plessinger said should increase the number of rental vehicles sold in July.

Plessinger noted a 10-year agreement between Aero and Avis/Budget was recently signed, meaning the airport will continue to be an Aero location for the next decade.

“That’s good to know” because the rental car operation supports the success of Contour’s flights at the airport, Plessinger said, noting people traveling to Altoona often need a rental vehicle to get to their destinations.

The airport currently has a fleet size of just over 60 vehicles and recently received a license-scanning machine that certifies information and confirms the license is legitimate, Bechtel said in his report.

The airport’s Avis/Budget location has also expanded its hours to cover the Tuesday evening flight from Charlotte during July and August, Bechtel said.

Their hours are now from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every Saturday, he said.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.