LAS VEGAS -- It could be called a sign of the times, but officials at McCarran Airport said they have posted their 12th consecutive month of falling air travel.

When compared to the more than 4 million passengers during October 2007, McCarran saw more than 500,000 fewer passengers land at Las Vegas' largest airport, with 2008's total reaching just over 3.5 million travelers.

This widens the year-to-date traveler gap between 2007 and 2008 to more than 2.5 million customers.

September 2008 saw a 13.2 percent drop in fares, the largest at McCarran since the months following the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In August, McCarran reported a 9.9 percent decline passengers, when compared to 2007, and the airport had an 8.6 percent decrease in July over last year.

About half of Las Vegas' 40 million annual visitors arrive by air. Slower traffic at the airport represented another sign of the slumping southern Nevada tourism industry.

All airlines saw a decrease in the number of passengers, with U.S. Airways taking the hardest hit at 29 percent fewer customers.

Aviation officials have not issued a statement about this trend.

For more information about report, visit McCarran's Web site.