Myrtle Beach Seeking Peoria Nonstops!



Myrtle Beach wants Central Illinois residents to visit its resorts, and arrive by air.

Peoria (or Bloomington-Normal) is among 19 destinations sought by officials of the South Carolina tourist destination, according to The Sun News. Myrtle Beach International Airport plans to offer financial incentives to carriers which begin nonstop flights.

Myrtle Beach is served by Allegiant Air, American Airlines, American Eagle, Delta Air Lines, Delta Connection, Porter Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines, United Express and WestJet Encore. Much of the service is seasonal. 

Allegiant Air is the obvious choice to offer this service out of Central Illinois, probably twice-weekly.

I hope it happens. 

- David P. Jordan

Comments

  1. mikefiedler1@gmail.comOctober 18, 2017 at 5:59 AM

    David, it will be interesting how they will decide whether PIA or BMI gets it. How do you think they decide and what are the factors? Earlier this year we flew from PIA to CLT and then drove to Myrtle Beach. Wonder if others have done this? But this would never get captured in any sort of data collection for Myrtle since really we drove into the area vs. flying there direct.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David P. JordanOctober 18, 2017 at 6:32 PM

      When a friend and I toured the international terminal at PIA in May 2016, Gene Olson told me he didn't think there was a significant market between Central Illinois and Myrtle Beach (there is one a bit further east - Evansville, Indiana for example). But I suppose nonstop, seasonal flights could create one, and Myrtle Beach was one of three (Destin/Fort Walton Beach and Los Angeles were the others) cities polled by the airport authority about two years ago.

      As for BMI vs. PIA, it could be a toss up, but Allegiant Air (the likely carrier to provide service) has shown more love to PIA than BMI in terms of destinations. At this point though, I'd be surprised if such service would be offered in the near future. Depends on the incentives Myrtle Beach offers, I guess.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bartlett Grain Co. LP to Build Elevator on UP Peoria Sub!

Image
Bartlett Grain Co. LP's Bureau County facility will be similar to its Canadian Pacific Kansas City-served South Jacksonville, Illinois facility, shown May 2, 2020.  Bartlett Grain Co. LP is planning to build a $50 million grain loading facility in Bureau County, Illinois. Media reports here and here  tells us Bartlett Grain will build on 155 acres east of Rt. 40 and north of Interstate 80 between County Roads 1700 and 1745 East. The complex, complete with a rail loop capable of loading up to 120 cars, will employ 25 to 30.  Rail service will be provided by the Union Pacific on its Peoria Subdivision, which runs from Nelson south to Barr. Grain will be shipped to Mexico.  - David P. Jordan
Read more

Black Band Distillery Expands to ex-Cat Tire!

Image
Black Band Distillery, presently operating at 1000 SW Adams Street, is planning to expand to the vacant property at 2400 SW Washington Street. That is according to WCBU News .  Although the article omits it, this property has a long history with the local distilling industry. National Cooperage & Woodenware Co. constructed a plant there in 1900, though a predecessor apparently had begun barrel making operations there c. 1885. This firm survived Prohibition (1920-1933) because the barrels could also be used for packing corn syrup, condensed milk, cider, vinegar, liquid chemicals, flavoring extracts, etc. Hiram Walker & Sons, which purchased one-third to one-half of its production, gained control of National Cooperage in 1946. A new four-story expansion began in the fall of 1964 only to be destroyed by a tornado on September 14, 1965. Operations resumed at the start of 1966 and the entire plant was replaced in 1967-1968.  Changing economics led to closure in 1972. Caterpillar Tra
Read more

PIA - A History: Chicago & Southern Airlines Crash Oct. 21, 1971

Image
The only fatal Peoria-area plane crash involving a scheduled air carrier occurred October 21, 1971 when Chicago & Southern Airlines Flight #804 went down while attempting to land in poor weather conditions. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident report can be viewed here , but I'll summarize the crash, what led up to it and the aftermath.  ILL-FATED FLIGHT #804 Chicago & Southern Airlines began flying between Peoria and Chicago's Meigs Field on July 7, 1969. Beech 18S and DHC-6 "Twin Otter" aircraft were used for its flights, the former type at Peoria. In 1970, C&S introduced an aircraft known as the ATECO Westwind II. It was a Beech 18S with heavy modifications including a seven-foot fuselage extension, two turboprop engines and a tri-cycle landing gear. An ATECO Westwind II operated ill-fated C&S Flight #804. It departed Meigs Field at 11:20 a. m. October 21, 1971 for Peoria and Springfield with 14 passengers. Airline pres
Read more