The number of passengers flying into Jackson Hole rose slightly in June compared to June 2011, a bright spot amid otherwise grim air traffic numbers.

According to the latest Jackson Hole Airport passenger report, the total number of commercial passengers flying in and out of the valley from January to June fell 4.3 percent, from 242,462 in 2011 to 231,951 this year. Year-to-date outbound traffic fell by 6 percent and inbound traffic by 3 percent. The actual number of flights fell by 10 percent.

But numbers for May and June were much improved from January through April, airport officials said.

“The economy is still pretty soft and the ski season wasn’t great, but the negative numbers are getting better,” airport director Ray Bishop said.

Passengers arriving in Jackson Hole increased 2 percent in June compared to 2011, the passenger report showed.

Because of the large decrease in the number of flights, seat occupancy rates have decreased by only 1 percent, Bishop said.

Without providing specific data, the airport director said that private plane traffic is “down considerably.”

“The best measure that we have is the gallons of fuel that we sell,” Bishop said. “We’re 25 percent down from where we were at a high in 2008.”

Of the six large commercial airline companies flying into and out of Jackson Hole, only Frontier Airlines reported positive year-over-year passenger data.