PIA - A History: Terminal Expansion and East Coast Flights, 1968-1969

On January 11, 1968 the Peoria Journal Star published passenger, air mail, air express and air freight figures for the Greater Peoria Airport in 1949-1967. Traffic grew rapidly in this period and 1967's passenger tally was nearly ten times that of 1949. 

1949 - 23,976

1950 - 22,903

1951 - 26,961

1952 - 32,524

1953 - 40,353

1954 - 48,336

1955 - 68,058

1956 - 82,257

1957 - 94,915

1958 - 90,873

1959 - 98,214

1960 - 94,986

1961 - 91,573

1962 - 104,189

1963 - 119,723

1964 - 143,277

1965 - 177,831

1966 - 199,816

1967 - 232,324

TERMINAL EXPANSION

Meanwhile, terminal expansion plans progressed. The original building, which opened in May 1959, allowed for expansion to twelve gate positions, six of which would be needed by 1980 when 350,000 passengers were expected to pass through. Officials settled on a 58,000 sq. ft., two-level addition to the main terminal and a linear concourse to be built out front. Work began on December 16, 1968. 

During the Spring 1969 construction season, coal mine voids were filled with fly ash to avoid subsidence, which caused problems for the airfield two decades earlier. Soon, a big hole was dug in front of the terminal so that a basement (including a baggage carousel) could be built. 

OZARK OVERFLYING PEORIA?

Some fears expressed by airport officials make no sense. One of these came to light in January 1968 when the Greater Peoria Airport Authority (along with Springfield) made public their opposition to Ozark's bid for nonstop authority in the Chicago-St. Louis market. Both communities feared that if the airline were allowed to do so, its DC-9s would cease stopping at their airports. 

This fear was unfounded because Ozark's existing one-and two-stop flights carried few if any through passengers between Chicago and St. Louis, and it had plenty of DC-9s on order for such expansion. The local service carrier merely sought to grow its appeal and lessen dependence on federal subsidies. Its DC-9 fleet enabled it to compete directly with two Trunks which already operated this route - American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Ozark quickly assured Peoria and Springfield that they had nothing to fear and officials from both communities drop their objections. Ozark's Chicago (O'Hare)-St. Louis nonstops began on November 15, 1968. 

NEW ROUTES
On April 28, 1968 Ozark Air Lines began a daily Chicago (O'Hare)-Moline-Peoria-Kansas City roundtrip using a DC-9 and a Chicago (Midway)-Peoria-Springfield, Ill.-St. Louis southbound only flight using an FH-227. The latter restored a link from Midway Airport to Peoria for the first time in six years. Congestion at Chicago-O'Hare International Airport prompted the City of Chicago in 1967 to reconstruct Midway's terminal concourses and promote it as an alternative. Many airlines resumed service there in 1968.

Also in 1968, Ozark placed a DC-9 on one of its multi-stop flights between Peoria and Minneapolis/St. Paul. 

On October 1, 1969 Ozark Air Lines inaugurated nonstop service between St. Louis and Dallas-Love Field. For a time, Peoria travelers enjoyed two-stop (Springfield, Ill. and St. Louis), same-plane service to the Texas city. 

RUNWAY EXTENSION
Work on the Runway 4-22 extension to both the northeast and southwest began in June 1968 and was completed in November giving it a 5,800 foot length. The extension was driven by Ozark Air Lines DC-9 jet service, which began July 15, 1966. The airport's 7,000-foot primary runway, 12-30, could already handle the jets, but the airfield needed a second runway capable of handling DC-9s in case of weather or construction. 

OLD TERMINAL FALLS
The previous terminal building had been built as a "comfort station" in 1937 and was expanded in 1945 to serve as an airline terminal. A control tower was built atop it in 1950. After being replaced in 1959, the building hosted the offices of the Civil Air Patrol. Federal Aviation Adminstration (FAA) rules state that no structure can be within 750 feet of a runway's centerline and PIA's old terminal was well within that distance. The building was vacated and then razed in July 1968. 

TO THE BIG APPLE...AND THE CAPITAL
Ozark Air Lines filed an application with the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) May 22, 1967 for authority to fly to New York City and Washington, D. C. from several Midwestern cities, including Peoria. At CAB hearings which took place at Peoria on June 12, 1968 the City of Chicago, American Airlines and United Air Lines objected to Ozark's expansion plan, claiming loss of passengers. Ozark's new service, which would bypass Chicago, and provide same-plane direct or nonstop service depending on the city, would cut transit times in half.

In late-August 1968, the CAB examiner recommended Ozark's bid and on February 28, 1969 the Board approved Ozark's route authority to New York and Washington, DC. Service began on April 27. Washington, DC service used Dulles International Airport but until March that year, Ozark hadn't decided on which New York City airport to use. Fortunately, it was able to lease space at LaGuardia Airport, preferred over Newark and John F. Kennedy International by business travelers given its proximity to Manhattan, for its new service. 

With the new East Coast service, Peoria achieved "hub" status for Ozark, an unusual designation for a small city like ours. The 1970 census showed Peoria with 125,736 residents and a metro population of 339,685, far smaller than the usual big cities with such designation. Initial routes operated were:

-Sioux Falls-Sioux City-Des Moines-Peoria-Washington, DC (Dulles)-New York (LaGuardia)

-Waterloo-Cedar Rapids-Moline-Peoria-New York (LaGuardia).

Peoria was just a small hub, or "focus city" (in modern parlance) for Ozark with few options for connecting passengers, yet there were some. 

AIR TAXIS' MUSICAL CHAIRS
In September 1968, Air MidAmerica Airlines announced plans to fly from Peoria to both Chicago-Midway and E. St. Louis (Bi-State Parks Airport) with 99-seat Lockheed L-188 Electras. In late December 1969, the Illinois Commerce Commission approved of the airline's plans.

ONG Airlines dropped its Peoria flights on December 31, 1968 after entering into merger talks with St. Louis-based Sun Airlines. Peoria's other air taxi, Commuter Airlines Inc., replaced its Beech Queen Air here with a 15-seat Beechcraft C-99 on January 6, 1969 but suspended service on February 28. 

Lindner Aviation, a Keokuk, Iowa fixed-based operator, began service to Peoria on January 5, 1969. The service, using a five-passenger Cessna Skymaster, was intended to connect with Ozark Air Lines flights. Flights arrived here from Keokuk on weekdays at 3:15 pm and departed one hour later. Service was dropped before April 27.

In May 1969, a new Peoria-based carrier, Chicago & Southern Air Lines, announced its intent to offer Peoria-Chicago (Meigs) nonstops, replacing ONG Airlines. Service began on July 7 using 11-passenger Beechcraft on three weekday roundtrips. Recall that a Trunk named Chicago & Southern Airlines had served Peoria from 1934 (as Pacific Seaboard Airlines for the first year) to 1937 and from 1945 to 1949. Delta Air Lines acquired the carrier in 1953 but failed to protect its legal right to use the Chicago & Southern name, thus why a Peoria-based commuter could use it 16 years later. 

NEW AIRPORT DIRECTOR

Thomas Schepke, named director in 1966, died suddenly at age 46 on June 19, 1969. Ronald W. Burling, who had served as assistant director for three years, was named as Schepke's replacement in September of that year. 

MISCELLANEOUS

The Greater Peoria Airport hosted its first Boeing 727 passenger flight on January 18, 1968 when a chartered United Air Lines 727-100 departed for Spokane, Washington with 17 Caterpillar dealer reps aboard. The plane arrived here the prior afternoon. 

On May 17, 1968 a TWA 727-100 visited Peoria as part of a "TWA Foreign Accent" promotion.

A Pan Am Boeing 707 made a hospitality flight from Peoria to Milwaukee on May 25, 1968.

On July 13, 1968 British and Belgian Caterpillar workers arrived via Boston on a Pan Am Boeing 707.

Republican Party nominee for president, Richard M. Nixon, visited Peoria on September 19, 1968. Three United Air Lines 727-100s were used for his entourage.

SCHEDULES AND ROUTE MAP

As of April 27, 1969 Ozark Air Lines scheduled 27 weekday departures, fewer on weekends, out of PIA. Seventeen of these were flown on Douglas DC-9s to Chicago-O'Hare, Kansas City, New York-LaGuardia, St. Louis and Washington, DC (Dulles) and several intermediate points like Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Moline, Sioux City, Sioux Falls, Springfield, Ill. and Waterloo. 

I created a route map corresponding to Ozark's April 27, 1969 timetable. 

New services to Kansas City and Chicago-Midway in 1968 and to New York City and Washington, DC on 1969 accelerated passenger traffic at the Greater Peoria Airport. In 1968, 262,511 passengers passed through its gates. I don't have exact figures for 1969, but an estimate based on enplanement figures given in the 2012 Illinois Airport Inventory Report shows roughly 277,000 passengers. 

In the next installment of PIA - A History, we'll look at events at the start of the 1970s. 

- David P. Jordan