PIA - A History: M. A. T. S. Airlines and Events of 1972
NINETEEN SEVENTY-TWO marked a decade since Peoria was a Trunk Airline stop. Although Ozark Air Lines offered expanded service in recent years, the Greater Peoria Airport Authority (GPAA) began sniffing around for an additional carrier. Meanwhile, Peoria was about to witness the birth of a second, locally-based commuter airline.
M. A. T. S. AIRLINES
In December 1971, Chicago & Southern Airlines president Richard Willard detailed plans for a new commuter airline to link Peoria with downtown Chicago (Meigs Field), Davenport, Detroit, East St. Louis (Bi-State Parks) Gary, Indianapolis and Minneapolis/St. Paul. Initially, it was to be called "Central Illinois Airline" and operate De Havilland DH-114 Herons. Eventually, remanufacturered Herons, called Saunders ST-27s, would be acquired by the new airline, a division of Peoria-based Manufacturers Air Transport Service (C&SA and MATS had stockholders in common). Willard was named division's vice-president and general manager.
Since its 1967 startup, Manufacturer's Air Transport Service lacked sufficient capital and often defaulted on its lease with the GPAA. For the last six months of 1971, it lost $13,782. So on January 5, 1972 MATS was sold to eastern investors as it made plans to expand into scheduled commuter operations. Due to the recent Chicago & Southern Airlines crash, the GPAA adopted a hard line, demanding MATS become certified for such service before leasing space in the airline terminal. It did support the carrier's plans, however.
Since its 1967 startup, Manufacturer's Air Transport Service lacked sufficient capital and often defaulted on its lease with the GPAA. For the last six months of 1971, it lost $13,782. So on January 5, 1972 MATS was sold to eastern investors as it made plans to expand into scheduled commuter operations. Due to the recent Chicago & Southern Airlines crash, the GPAA adopted a hard line, demanding MATS become certified for such service before leasing space in the airline terminal. It did support the carrier's plans, however.
Events moved quickly. In mid-March, MATS announced scheduled service out of Peoria to Indianapolis, Davenport and Minneapolis/St. Paul beginning May 15. Three Herons were leased from Cleveland, Ohio-based Wright Air Lines. Equipped with four propellers, the planes had seating for 16 passengers and a stewardess. The carrier had filed with the Civil Aeronautics Board for a weight exemption that if not approved, required operations with two less seats. Interestingly, Ozark Air Lines filed an objection out of concern over losing business.
On April 12, MATS received GPAA permission to begin service. Eight days later, CAB granted the desired weight exemption. Service was on schedule to begin May 15. An advertisement in the Peoria Journal Star's May 1 edition shows that each route with two roundtrips, six days a week. MATS cargo service to Springfield, and an extension of the existing Chicago-Peoria DC-3 route, was announced in late-April. The following advertisements appeared in the Peoria Journal Star on May 1, 5 and 9, respectively.
On April 12, MATS received GPAA permission to begin service. Eight days later, CAB granted the desired weight exemption. Service was on schedule to begin May 15. An advertisement in the Peoria Journal Star's May 1 edition shows that each route with two roundtrips, six days a week. MATS cargo service to Springfield, and an extension of the existing Chicago-Peoria DC-3 route, was announced in late-April. The following advertisements appeared in the Peoria Journal Star on May 1, 5 and 9, respectively.
By early September, it was clear MATS failed to attract sufficient business. The carrier had dropped service to Davenport and Minneapolis/St. Paul in mid-July and to Indianapolis a month later, leaving the Rockford and Detroit route. Cargo flights ended August 28. In another sign of trouble, Walton B. Sommer resigned as Chairman of the Board.
The carrier sought additional financing to remain in business. Failing in this endeavor, it ceased operations on September 12 and filed for bankruptcy nine days later. Before the bankruptcy filing, Wright Air Lines repossessed its Herons. The Peoria Journal Star reported October 3 that the carrier owed creditors $812,475 but held only $157,990 in assets. It lost $300,000 in Fiscal 1972.
In December, a MATS DC-3 and two Beechcraft were sold at auction. The second Peoria-based cargo and commuter airline was dead.
ADDITIONAL CARRIERS?
In May 1972, the Greater Peoria Airport Authority revealed contacts with Frontier Airlines and Southern Airways as well as plans to contact Delta Air Lines and North Central Airlines. Completion of the Interstate 474 Bypass was expected to expand PIA's catchment area from the immediate metro area (339,000 in 1970) to about 600,000 residents. With the expanded service area, airport officials desired service to the southeast, the west and eastern cities like Cleveland and Detroit.
Southern Airways expressed willingness to hold discussions with Peoria. The GPAA wanted the Local Service Carrier to provide service to its Atlanta base and also to Miami and New Orleans. A month later, North Central Airlines agreed to study Peoria service to Cleveland, Detroit and Kansas City. The Minneapolis-based Local Service Carrier had studied Peoria service several times in the past, but never petitioned the CAB for route authority. Both carriers quickly dropped consideration - North Central because Peoria didn't fit its network and Southern because the city couldn't yet support service to the southeast.
Southern Airways expressed willingness to hold discussions with Peoria. The GPAA wanted the Local Service Carrier to provide service to its Atlanta base and also to Miami and New Orleans. A month later, North Central Airlines agreed to study Peoria service to Cleveland, Detroit and Kansas City. The Minneapolis-based Local Service Carrier had studied Peoria service several times in the past, but never petitioned the CAB for route authority. Both carriers quickly dropped consideration - North Central because Peoria didn't fit its network and Southern because the city couldn't yet support service to the southeast.
OZARK AIR LINES
The GPAA sought interest from other carriers because it didn't think Ozark could win new route awards in the near future. The airline already had the authority to serve Peoria from Denver but had failed to start service. The Civil Aeronautics Board had rejected the carrier's Cleveland and Detroit bid due to the industry downturn. On October 18, Ozark president Edward J. Crane told the Peoria Chapter of the National Association of Accountants that his carrier was interested in Peoria-Atlanta service but the CAB had placed a moratorium on new route awards.
Although Peoria could claim but one carrier, an April 1972 ruling by the Civil Aeronautics Board mandating joint fares for all multiple-carrier routings promised to benefit some 4.9 million passengers, and save them between $20 and 40 million a year. Although Ozark offered nonstop, same-plane or connecting service from Peoria to markets such as Dallas (Love Field), Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York (LaGuardia) and Washington (Dulles), most travelers depended on interline connections at Chicago (O'Hare) and St. Louis to reach their final destinations.
Although Peoria could claim but one carrier, an April 1972 ruling by the Civil Aeronautics Board mandating joint fares for all multiple-carrier routings promised to benefit some 4.9 million passengers, and save them between $20 and 40 million a year. Although Ozark offered nonstop, same-plane or connecting service from Peoria to markets such as Dallas (Love Field), Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York (LaGuardia) and Washington (Dulles), most travelers depended on interline connections at Chicago (O'Hare) and St. Louis to reach their final destinations.
MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS
On January 25, a MATS Beechcraft D-18 was forced to make a belly landing here, believed to be due to cold weather (frozen landing gear?) The two pilots and FAA official onboard were uninjured.
In early February, airlines began screening all passengers and their luggage before boarding their planes. The Greater Peoria Airport previously did so on occasion, but a surge in skyjacking incidents prompted new security requirements by Federal Aviation Administration. Ozark Air Lines used a portal metal detector to screen passengers and their luggage. Until it could install a walk-thru metal detector, the airport considered restricting the gate-hold area to ticketed passengers.
During this election year, presidential hopefuls visited Peoria in their chartered campaign planes. On March 17, Sen. Edmund Muskie (D-Maine) arrived on Josephine, a Lockheed L-188 Electra named for his mother. Three days later, former Sen. Eugene McCarthy (D-Minnesota) stepped off his campaign plane. Unfortunately, the photo in the next day's Peoria Journal Star lacks sufficient detail for identification. On September 7, Democratic Party presidential nominee Sen. George McGovern (D-South Dakota) visited Peoria, arriving in a chartered Boeing 727 from Dallas. Vice-President Spiro Agnew arrived September 27 so he could speak at the Farm Progress Show in Galesburg. His plane was unidentified.
The airport hosted an open house on Sunday, June 11. The event included a visit by then-Governor Richard B. Ogilvie and static displays by a MATS Heron, a KC-97G tanker belonging to the Illinois Air National Guard's 126th Air Refueling Wing (Chicago-O'Hare), a Ford Tri-Motor and an E-1 Tracer. An Air Illinois DHC-6 performed and a Trans World Airlines Lockheed L-1011 TriStar conducted a flyby (the big jet entered service on the St. Louis-Los Angeles route exactly two weeks later).
In August, the FAA told the GPAA that its fire operations were inadequate. The Air National Guard's pumper trucks were nearly 20 years old and must be replaced, along with construction of a new firehouse, by 1980. Peoria graded "Class B" for fire protection. If requirements met, it will be graded as "Class C."
On November 8, the Peoria Journal Star mentioned a small overnight cargo plane service operated for the United States Postal Service. Flights were routed Grand Rapids-Chicago (O'Hare)-Bloomington-St. Louis-Peoria-Chicago (O'Hare)-Grand Rapids.
On December 28, Ozark Air Lines boarded its 3 millionth passenger, Miss Mary Barnard, as she stepped onto a flight to Washington and New York for final exams.
Despite the failure of MATS Airlines, PIA benefitted from an improving economy in 1972. With low unemployment and strong economic growth, passenger traffic cracked the 300,000 mark for the first time. (An official tally of 304,475 can be found in a 1978 booklet, The Greater Peoria Airport...YOUR GATEWAY TO THE WORLD.)
Next, we'll examine the turbulence which rocked the U. S. airline industry in 1973-1974.
In early February, airlines began screening all passengers and their luggage before boarding their planes. The Greater Peoria Airport previously did so on occasion, but a surge in skyjacking incidents prompted new security requirements by Federal Aviation Administration. Ozark Air Lines used a portal metal detector to screen passengers and their luggage. Until it could install a walk-thru metal detector, the airport considered restricting the gate-hold area to ticketed passengers.
During this election year, presidential hopefuls visited Peoria in their chartered campaign planes. On March 17, Sen. Edmund Muskie (D-Maine) arrived on Josephine, a Lockheed L-188 Electra named for his mother. Three days later, former Sen. Eugene McCarthy (D-Minnesota) stepped off his campaign plane. Unfortunately, the photo in the next day's Peoria Journal Star lacks sufficient detail for identification. On September 7, Democratic Party presidential nominee Sen. George McGovern (D-South Dakota) visited Peoria, arriving in a chartered Boeing 727 from Dallas. Vice-President Spiro Agnew arrived September 27 so he could speak at the Farm Progress Show in Galesburg. His plane was unidentified.
The airport hosted an open house on Sunday, June 11. The event included a visit by then-Governor Richard B. Ogilvie and static displays by a MATS Heron, a KC-97G tanker belonging to the Illinois Air National Guard's 126th Air Refueling Wing (Chicago-O'Hare), a Ford Tri-Motor and an E-1 Tracer. An Air Illinois DHC-6 performed and a Trans World Airlines Lockheed L-1011 TriStar conducted a flyby (the big jet entered service on the St. Louis-Los Angeles route exactly two weeks later).
In August, the FAA told the GPAA that its fire operations were inadequate. The Air National Guard's pumper trucks were nearly 20 years old and must be replaced, along with construction of a new firehouse, by 1980. Peoria graded "Class B" for fire protection. If requirements met, it will be graded as "Class C."
On November 8, the Peoria Journal Star mentioned a small overnight cargo plane service operated for the United States Postal Service. Flights were routed Grand Rapids-Chicago (O'Hare)-Bloomington-St. Louis-Peoria-Chicago (O'Hare)-Grand Rapids.
On December 28, Ozark Air Lines boarded its 3 millionth passenger, Miss Mary Barnard, as she stepped onto a flight to Washington and New York for final exams.
Despite the failure of MATS Airlines, PIA benefitted from an improving economy in 1972. With low unemployment and strong economic growth, passenger traffic cracked the 300,000 mark for the first time. (An official tally of 304,475 can be found in a 1978 booklet, The Greater Peoria Airport...YOUR GATEWAY TO THE WORLD.)
Next, we'll examine the turbulence which rocked the U. S. airline industry in 1973-1974.
- David P. Jordan
Is there a copy of "Your gateway to the world" online anywheee? I think I remember having a copy back then.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your work.
Tom Miller, former PIA assistant director, has posted scans of that booklet to his flickr page.
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The Peoria Public Library has a copy in their vertical files at the downtown campus, History & Genealogy Dept.
Thank you. Too bad Southern or Delta werent not ble to start Peoria service. Airlines did lots of tags then. A PIA-BNA-ATL or MLI-PIA-ATL would have probably worked.
DeletePIA may have targeted Delta because of its DC-9 fleet. BNA would have been a good tag on for an ATL route.
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