
In Third Quarter, Passenger Volumes Down 84 Percent at JFK, Newark Liberty, LaGuardia Airports from 2019
Third Quarter PATH Ridership Down 81 Percent from 2019; in Third Quarter, Bridges and Tunnels Traffic Decreased 14 Percent from Third Quarter 2019
Weekly Volumes for October 2020 Show Declines Continue into Fourth Quarter
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Fort Lee NJ, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced today that the third quarter activity levels at the agency’s transportation facilities continued to show the dramatic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Port Authority airports, PATH train, and tunnels and bridges reported significantly lower volumes in the third quarter of 2020 compared to the same period last year. Following domestic and international travel restrictions first implemented in March and global production shutdowns, the Port Authority had previously reported record declines in volume across its facilities during the second quarter of 2020.
Airports:
For the third quarter of 2020, from July through September, total combined passenger volumes at John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia airports were down an estimated 84 percent compared to the third quarter of 2019.
July: 1,720,868 passengers, or 87 percent decrease from July 2019
August: 2,137,361 passengers, or 84 percent decrease from August 2019
September: 2,079,075 passengers, or 82 percent decrease from September 2019
The most recent figures available were reported at the Port Authority’s Board Meeting on October 29, 2020:
Based on the week of October 19, 2020 to October 23, 2020, passenger volumes at Port Authority airports for that week were down by 77 percent compared to the October 2019 weekday average, based on TSA checkpoint entries.
PATH:
During the third quarter of 2020, PATH reported average weekday ridership of 54,483 riders, down 81 percent from the same period in 2019.
July: Average weekday ridership of 47,028, or 84 percent decrease from July 2019.
August: Average weekday ridership of 54,124, or 81 percent decrease from August 2019.
September: Average weekday ridership of 62,651, or 79 percent decrease from September 2019.
As reported at the Port Authority’s Board Meeting on October 29, 2020, based on the week of October 19, 2020 to October 23, 2020, PATH’s average weekday ridership was down by 78 percent compared to the October 2019 weekday average.
Tunnels, Bridges, & Terminals:
In the third quarter of 2020, the Port Authority’s four bridges and two tunnels handled a total of 27.6 million vehicles, a decrease of 13.8 percent compared to the same period in 2019. Automobile traffic was down 13.7 percent and truck traffic declined 5.2 percent.
July: 9 million vehicles, or a 16.2 percent decrease from July 2019. Automobile traffic declined by 16.2 percent, and truck traffic dropped 5.4 percent.
August: 9.5 million vehicles, or a 13.7 percent decrease from August 2019. Automobile traffic declined by 13.4 percent, and truck traffic was down 6.5 percent.
September: 10.3 million vehicles, or a 11.5 percent decrease from September 2019. Automobile traffic declined by 11.3 percent and truck traffic 3.7 percent.
As reported at the Port Authority’s Board Meeting on October 29, 2020, based on the week of October 19, 2020 to October 23, 2020, overall weekday vehicular traffic was down 11 percent down compared to October 2019 weekday vehicular traffic. Viewed separately, truck volumes were close to, and on some days exceeded, pre-COVID levels.
Port:
In the third quarter of 2020, from July through September, the Port of New York and New Jersey moved a total of 2,016,797 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), which was an increase of 2.5 percent from the same period in 2019. During the third quarter, the seaport recovered to 2019 levels and surpassed its all-time September record as factories and retailers around the world ramped up activity in preparation for the holiday season and growing concerns of future supply chain disruptions. Also, more global shippers are opting to call on the seaport as their first stops in the U.S. due to the seaport’s improved freight rail facilities and ability to serve ultra-large container ships such as the 15,072-TEU vessel CMA CGM Brazil, which arrived in September as the largest container ship to call at the port.
July: 607,463 TEUs, or 8.4 percent decrease from July 2019.
August: 688,365 TEUs, or 1.3 percent increase from August 2019.
September: 720,969 TEUs, or 15.4 percent increase from September 2019.
The Bridge and Tunnels are the biggest rip off.
They charge 3x what the Tappan Zee does.