Now that the PIA survey has concluded, I hope the team has enough ammo to secure Denver return. I noticed this week that Cedar Rapids has UA flights to Denver on A319. That has to be a boon for that airport. Anything similar coming our way you reckon?
I'd say Denver is PIA's top priority, and should resume in the near future. The only caveat is rising fuel prices. I can't see UA mainline here but PIA-DEN service might use a larger jet, like a CRJ700 on one daily roundtrip.
To understand events of 1980, we must begin in late-1979. The completion of the Interstate 474 bypass (and Airport Road interchange) on December 20 that year expanded PIA's catchment area, but unfortunately failed to compensate for an increasingly difficult period in local aviation history. The UAW Local 974 struck area Caterpillar Tractor Company plant on October 1, 1979, forcing a reduction in manufacturing and logistics operations. The walkout ended in mid-December but reduced corporate (and probably leisure) travel, impacting passenger traffic at the Greater Peoria Airport. On October 6, 1979 the Federal Reserve changed its monetary policy as a means to slay inflation, resulting in much higher interest rates. Already suffering from rising unemployment, the national economy plunged into recession from January to July 1980. From May 5 through June 1, Ozark Air Lines was shut down due to a mechanic's strike. As a consequence of each event noted above, PIA passenger...
In the previous installment, we covered Peoria’s first airmail flights and the fact that they were flown by the soon-to-be famous Charles A. Lindbergh. Now we shift to Peoria’s next airfield, Big Hollow Airport, which was located along then-Illinois Route 30 (north of US 150 and west of Rt. 91 today). There appears to be some disagreement over when this facility opened. Bill Adams wrote in his November 26, 1990 Yesterdays column that Big Hollow opened in the late summer of 1926 and Kellar Field was closed. Actually, that is when construction began, but it opened on December 20. Newspaper articles alternatively call it the "Municipal Airport," "Peoria Airport" or "Airport of Peoria." The map below appeared in the Peoria Evening Star on April 24, 1927. Shoppes at Grand Prairie occupies the present location. AN AIR SHOW AND SCHEDULE AIRLINE SERVICE The Peoria Aero Club organized an air show here on June 10, 1928. It featured stu...
It is time for my annual update on local airline service. A summer month is best for this update. I used July for 2024's update, and I have every reason to do so again this year. Barring last minute changes, the schedules and route map below are accurate. So let us delve into the present situation. ALLEGIANT AIR Like last year, schedules for July 2025 show most flights operated with Airbus A320 equipment. They do not discern between 177-seat A320s or brand-new 186-seat A320SEOs. Smaller A319s, configured for 156 seats, are now only used on some Las Vegas and Punta Gorda flights. Brand new Boeing 737 Max 8-200 aircraft began appearing on St. Petersburg/Clearwater nonstops as early as February 2025 and are now also used on Orlando-Sanford nonstops. These aircraft are equipped with 190 seats. Seasonal nonstops to Destin/Fort Walton Beach and year-round nonstops to Phoenix-Mesa and Punta Gorda have gained one weekly roundtrip each as compared to last year. So there are now...
Now that the PIA survey has concluded, I hope the team has enough ammo to secure Denver return. I noticed this week that Cedar Rapids has UA flights to Denver on A319. That has to be a boon for that airport. Anything similar coming our way you reckon?
ReplyDeleteI'd say Denver is PIA's top priority, and should resume in the near future. The only caveat is rising fuel prices. I can't see UA mainline here but PIA-DEN service might use a larger jet, like a CRJ700 on one daily roundtrip.
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