Palm Springs International Airport spent most of 2025 doing what it has done since the pandemic-era travel rebound began: growing. Passenger counts rose in nine of the year’s 12 months, March set a new all-time monthly high, and the airport finished the year with 3.31 million travelers, up 2.4% from 2024.
But the year’s final stretch told a more complicated story. October, November and December all declined year over year, with December posting the sharpest drop, down 7.4%.
That late-year cooling matters because it overlaps with Greater Palm Springs’ ramp into peak season and appears to align with a broader shift in North American travel patterns, especially among Canadians who have long served as a winter backbone for desert tourism.
A strong first nine months, led by a record spring
PSP’s 2025 gains were front-loaded, with spring once again doing the heavy lifting.
- March was the busiest month in the airport’s history, serving 493,450 passengers, up 4.3% from March 2024.
- April followed with 406,506 passengers, up 6.3%.
- Summer, typically softer in the desert, still delivered standout growth: June rose 6.1%, and July jumped 11.0%.
By the end of September, PSP had handled 2.43 million passengers, up 4.5% year to date, according to published airport data.
Airport officials attribute the overall 2025 record to a mix of sustained demand, route growth and a destination that has pushed beyond its traditional seasonality. PSP set five all-time monthly passenger records in 2025, including March 2025, the busiest month in the airport’s history.
The late-year dip: small in October and November, sharper in December
Then the curve bent.
- October: 257,985 passengers, down 0.3% year over year.
- November: 305,185, down 0.8%.
- December: 313,483, down 7.4%, with both departing passengers and arriving passengers falling.
In plain terms: the airport still had a record year, but it entered winter with less momentum than its spring-and-summer run suggested.
Tourism in Greater Palm Springs stayed resilient, with hints of price sensitivity
The passenger story broadly matches what tourism indicators were showing across Greater Palm Springs: healthy demand through spring, then more mixed signals as the calendar moved toward summer and early fall.
Local tourism reporting pointed to strong spring hotel performance through May, with occupancy rising to 70% from 67.6% a year earlier and average daily rate up about 3%.
Short-term rental data also suggested steadiness rather than a collapse heading into late 2025. Visit Greater Palm Springs’ partner dashboard showed October 2025 paid guest occupancy in professionally managed vacation rentals at 17.3% vs. 17.6% in 2024, and December occupancy was essentially flat at 23% vs. 23%.
So why would airport numbers dip late in the year even as the destination was still attracting a strong volume of overnight visitors?
One answer is that airport counts are a direct readout of airline capacity decisions, which were increasingly shaped by what was happening north of the border.
The Canadian factor: a softer winter pipeline, and fewer seats into PSP
The Coachella Valley’s “snowbird” economy has always been intertwined with Canada. In late 2025, that pipeline weakened.
A November 2025 analysis of PSP’s Canadian market by the City of Palm Springs Airport Commission reported steep year-over-year declines in Canadian passenger arrivals during late summer and early fall, including a particularly sharp drop in September, and said airlines were already trimming flights and seats that typically support the winter season.
That same report cited PSP forecasts showing fewer scheduled Canadian arrivals in November and December, along with thousands fewer arriving seats than in 2024.
The softness wasn’t limited to Palm Springs. Canadian travel to the United States dropped sharply in 2025 by multiple measures. Statistics Canada reported that Canadian residents returned from 2.9 million trips to the U.S. in August 2025, down 29.7% year over year, and from 2.3 million trips in October 2025, down 26.3%. A separate Statistics Canada release also noted Canadian-resident return trips from the U.S. by air fell in November 2025 compared with the prior year.
When Canadians pull back, the impact shows up quickly at leisure-heavy gateways, especially sun-and-fun markets that compete directly with Palm Springs.
How PSP compares: Las Vegas and Florida show the same stress point
Consider Las Vegas. Multiple reports in late 2025 tied sharp declines at Harry Reid International Airport to reduced Canadian travel, with international volumes taking an especially hard hit.
Florida saw a similar story: overall tourism was slightly up in parts of 2025, but Canadian visitation fell, according to reporting based on Visit Florida figures.
And California, more broadly, saw warning signs early in 2025, with reports that air arrivals from Canada fell amid political and economic tensions, even as the state and destinations worked to reassure travelers.
Against that backdrop, PSP’s late-2025 drop looks less like an isolated stumble and more like a local expression of a continental trend: domestic demand remained comparatively sturdy, while parts of international demand, especially Canadian demand, softened.
PSP’s secret sauce: more passengers, fewer flights, bigger planes
Harry Barrett, Jr., Executive Director of Aviation at Palm Springs International Airport.
Even with the late-year declines, PSP’s full-year growth highlights a structural advantage the airport has been leaning into: airlines are flying larger aircraft into Palm Springs.
“We’re proud to see more travelers choosing to fly from Palm Springs,” said Harry Barrett, Jr., Executive Director of Aviation. “It reflects the strength of our air service and the convenience of PSP. Every trip that starts here supports local jobs, helps sustain the regional economy, and creates momentum for expanding nonstop air service that benefits the entire Coachella Valley.”
PSP’s year-end release said the airport handled about 3,800 fewer commercial flights than pre-pandemic levels, about a 6% decrease, even as passenger totals hit records, a sign that carriers are using mainline aircraft more often instead of smaller regional jets.
That change matters locally. Fewer flights can reduce noise and operational strain, while larger planes protect total seat supply, the basic ingredient the region needs for hotels, restaurants, events and seasonal visitation.
What happens next: a destination that’s winning, and one that’s recalibrating
Looking into 2026, the story is likely to be less about whether Palm Springs can attract travelers and more about which travelers fill the seats.
The Canadian market may remain volatile, but there are signs airlines still like Palm Springs overall. The same Canadian-travel analysis noted that total seat capacity across all airlines was expected to be higher heading into the winter period, even as Canadian flying softened, suggesting domestic demand and route breadth can offset at least part of the loss.
Meanwhile, PSP continues to invest in the passenger experience through its Progress PSP improvement program, including new concessions and upgraded Wi-Fi, as well as seating, shade structures, and EV charging expansion, all designed to support growth and keep the airport competitive with bigger Southern California hubs.
For now, the 2025 verdict is clear: PSP still grew and outperformed many leisure peers for much of the year. But the final three months delivered a reminder that even record-setting airports are not immune to shifting traveler sentiment, especially when a cornerstone market like Canada starts choosing alternatives, including staying home.
