PIA – A History: Airline Service Grows (1945-1947)

The last installment of this series covered airport improvements which were made following the restoration of scheduled passenger flights and establishment of an Air National Guard base. Now it is time to cover growth in local passenger flights during 1946-1947.

TWA – INTERNATIONAL CARRIER

Most of you remember TWA, or Trans World Airlines. The carrier, created by a merger of Transcontinental Air Transport and Western Air Express in 1930, began using the “Trans World Airline” moniker on January 1, 1946. The carrier officially renamed itself “Trans World Airlines” in 1950.

Before going on, we need to discuss regulation of the airline industry. The Civil Aeronautics Authority Act of 1938 created the Civil Aeronautics Authority, which absorbed non-military responsibilities of the Bureau of Air Commerce, created in 1926 as the Aeronautic Branch of the US Dept. Commerce. The CAA became the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) in 1940.

CAB was given the authority to regulate air fares and determine what routes airlines could operate.  It also handled safety issues, rules, accident investigations until such duties were transferred to the FAA (in 1958) and NTSB (1967). Since the agency determined whether airlines could add or drop routes, it conducted hearings for the interested parties.

As early as 1943, commercial airlines planned for significant route expansion as fighting in Europe and Pacific theaters ended. On September 15 that year, TWA filed an application with the Civil Aeronautics Board for permission to add no fewer than 98 cities! One of the proposed routes was Chicago-Joliet-LaSalle/Peru-Peoria-Quincy-Moberly-Kansas City.

Not until March 12, 1945 did CAB conduct hearings for TWA’s application to serve Peoria. Unfortunately, the Board’s Examiner determined in April 1946 that the airline couldn’t offer sufficient single-line service to points not already served from Peoria. Desiring not to lose the opportunity to gain an international airline, the City of Peoria filed a Petition to Intervene and recruited the Peoria Area Association of Commerce to support TWA service. A hearing was scheduled for May 6 that year. Local support must have made a difference because on the last day of 1946, CAB granted TWA the right to add Peoria as a stop on its Chicago-Kansas City route.

OTHER CARRIERS LOOK AT PEORIA

Meanwhile, several other carriers expressed interest in serving Peoria. Summary below.

HANNAFORD AIRLINES INC – In March 1945, this Winnetka, Illinois-based Hannaford Aircraft Co. proposed an 8,000-mile airline system called “Hannaford Airlines Inc.” which would be centered around a Chicago hub. Bloomington, Galesburg and Peoria were among planned stops for cargo, airmail and passenger flights. This company, which in a few years would start building single-seat, open cockpit biplanes called the “Hannaford Bee,” was owned by Foster Hannaford Jr. The airline apparently never materialized beyond the proposal stage and the owner died in 1971.

MID-CONTINENT AIRLINES – A month after Hannaford’s proposal made the newspapers, this Kansas City-based airline proposed a St. Louis-Springfield*-Peoria-Moline-Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Minneapolis/St. Paul route.

*A Springfield stop would have to be added at a later date, since the state capital lacked a commercial airport until late 1947

BURLINGTON TRANSPORTATION CO. – In May 1945, this carrier proposed a route between Peoria and Kansas City with two daily roundtrips and stops at Macomb, Quincy, Hannibal, Macon, Brookfield, Chillicothe, Cameron and St. Joseph. Another route would go to Galesburg, Fairfield (IA) and Des Moines, also with two daily roundtrips. Newspaper articles say the carrier wanted to use helicopters and establish facilities close to the center of these cities. Thus, it isn’t clear if Peoria’s Municipal Airport would have been served as well. A PC&N hearing was scheduled for September 1. The Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce announced its support for Burlington’s service in early November 1945. The local newspaper last mentioned the carrier in September 1946.

COLUMBIAN AIRLINES – In late summer, this proposed carrier announced plans for a six-state freight, mail and passenger network which would include a route between Omaha and Cincinnati. Stops included Des Moines, Burlington, Galesburg*, Peoria, Bloomington*, Danville and Indianapolis. Peoria would also be a stop on a Chicago-Kansas City route. Each route would give Peoria four flights daily. Founded by Roger McCormick of Chicago, the airline won a Public Convenience & Necessity (PC&N) hearing at Indianapolis in October 1945.

Interestingly, by early 1946, Columbian had revealed plans to establish its principal headquarters and operational and maintenance facilities at the Peoria Municipal Airport. Flights were to start in early 1947. By then McCormick still planned a Peoria base and service to Des Moines and Indianapolis. But CAB ruled against the carrier in January 1947, and nothing further about them appeared in local newspapers.

*Flagstops

ILLINOIS AIRLINE INC. – Petitioned the Illinois Commerce Commission for a Certificate of Public Convience & Necessity (PC&N) in October 1945. The carrier planned to operate intrastate routes linking Chicago, Rockford, Moline, Peoria, Springfield, E. St. Louis, Danville, Decatur and Cairo.

PARKS AIR TRANSPORT INC. – Also in October 1945, this proposed St. Louis-based carrier asked the Civil Aeronautics Board for a Chicago-St. Louis route with stops at Aurora, Ottawa, Kewanee, Peoria, Canton, Springfield and Jacksonville. Parks had begun intrastate Missouri flights in January 1945 using Beech Staggerwings, but service was dropped before the end of the year. Of all of the above carriers seeking to add Peoria to their route systems, only Parks’ application was approved. More on that in a future post.

MORE AIRLINES LOOK AT PEORIA IN 1946…AND 1947

SLICK AIRWAYS – In June 1946, San Antonio, Texas-based Slick Airways filed an application with CAB to provide cargo service to Peoria. The carrier began operations that month with ten Curtiss C-46Es. In March 1948, it received CAB recommendation for service, but not until May 1949 was its PC&N granted. Whether service actually started is unknown.

INTERNATIONAL AIR LINES INC. - Yet another carrier, Chicago-based International Air Lines, announced in July 1946 its plans to add Peoria.

CONSUMER AIR LINES INC. – This carrier, which listed its address as 414 W. Marietta Ave. in Peoria Heights, announced plans in February 1947 for service between Chicago and 24 downstate cities.

BELT AVIATION – Desired to provide intra-state flights in Illinois, including Peoria.

EASTERN AIR LINES – In September 1947, Eastern Air Lines announced plans to extend its multi-stop Miami-St. Louis route to Minneapolis/St. Paul via Peoria and other cities.

Obviously, not all of these carriers could be allowed to start service to Peoria, but two existing carriers added flights in 1946. American Airlines doubled service from one to two roundtrip flights to both Chicago and St. Louis on October 8. Chicago & Southern Air Lines put Peoria on a morning southbound flight a few weeks later.

TWA BECOMES PEORIA’S 3RD AIRLINE

Trans World Airline began Peoria service on March 1, 1947 with two flights daily in each direction between Chicago and Kansas City. Like the other two carriers serving Peoria, TWA used Douglas DC-3s for its scheduled passenger flights.

One oddity in the regulated era was that intrastate air service had to be approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission. Even though TWA flights operated daily between Chicago and Peoria beginning March 1, the carrier had to obtain permission from the Illinois Commerce Commission to handle passengers between the two points. Permission was granted on June 17, and local service began two days later.

AUGUST 1947 SCHEDULE COMPILATION

The following airline schedules were culled from the American Aviation Air Traffic Guide, August 1947 edition. Chicago & Southern Air Lines had dropped the southbound-only flight added in the fall of 1946, but between its three carriers, Peoria had ten arrivals and ten departures on weekends, less on weekends.

This route map shows the significance of TWA’s Peoria routes. Many cities shown are on one-way routings, but Peoria travelers had same-plane service links with Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Amarillo, Wichita, Kansas City, Chicago, Fort Wayne, Dayton and Pittsburgh in both directions.

– David P. Jordan