LAX loses departures while SFO sees big gain

L.A.'s loss between 2007 and 2012 was 7.3 percent, according to an MIT survey, roughly in line with other major U.S. airports, including Atlanta, Chicago, and Dallas. The big drops, however, came at mid-size facilities such as Pittsburgh (39.7 percent), Cincinnati (64.4 percent), and Memphis (40.4 percent). San Jose and Sacramento were also way down. Meanwhile, SF was one of the few airports to show an increase in departures - a hefty 20.9 percent pickup. Airlines are generally cutting back on departures - and filling up planes - as they try to re-calibrate their business model in the face of skyrocketing jet fuel costs. That's improved the financial picture at several carriers (the airline business is notoriously unprofitable), but it's also left many smaller communities with much reduced air service. (Ontario was not on the WSJ list, but it's seen a huge drop in flights as well.) From the WSJ:

Industry executives say that the changes have helped reduce overcapacity and revive the fortunes of the industry after years of losses and bankruptcies, which they say benefits travelers. But the changes have also affected convenience and cost for fliers. Overall, average domestic round-trip fares have inched up 4% to $374 in 2012 from 2007, adjusted for inflation. Competition on busy routes between big cities and new flights from discount carriers have held some fares down. But at some midsize and smaller airports, the recent service cuts have reduced competition and caused fares to shoot up. In Boise, Idaho, where the nearest big airport is a five-hour drive south in Salt Lake City, airlines cut 40% of the flights over the study period, including nonstop service to Atlanta. Boise also has fewer airlines flying to Seattle, Los Angeles and Portland, Ore., helping to lift the average inflation-adjusted fare there by 18% since 2007.