PIA - A History: Events of 1979
Beginning in the late 1970s, events surrounding the Greater Peoria Airport accelerated in frequency. These changes can be credited (or discredited, depending on your perspective) to the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. Therefore, this and many future posts in this series will focus on a single year.
Ozark Air Lines vigorously opposed deregulation, warning proponents that it would result in the loss of service in smaller markets. The Greater Peoria Airport Authority supported deregulation initially, viewing the change as a means to obtain more airlines, but began to modify its view after the announcements of several service cuts.
EFFECTS OF DEREGULATION
There were cutbacks before deregulation. Sometime in 1978, probably summer, Ozark changed its Detroit-Peoria-Moline-Omaha routing to Detroit-Peoria-Des Moines. Citing the need to deploy its planes on other routes, this service was eliminated December 14. The reduction left Peoria with a single roundtrip to the Motor City, which was routed St. Louis-Springfield-Peoria-Detroit. Just prior to these changes, Peoria could still boast in its Ozark service levels. The airline's December 1, 1978 timetable shows the following weekday departures to -
Atlanta/1 flight, DC-9
Cedar Rapids/1 flight, DC-9 (continues to RST and MSP)
Champaign/Urbana/2 flights, DC-9, DC-9 (continued to IAD and LGA)
Chicago-O'Hare/6 flights, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9, FH-227, DC-9, DC-9
Decatur/2 flights, FH-227, DC-9 (continued to STL)
Denver/1 flight, DC-9
Des Moines/2 flights, DC-9, DC-9
Detroit/2 flights, DC-9, DC-9
Indianapolis/2 flights, DC-9, DC-9 (first continues to SDF)
Minneapolis/St. Paul/1 flight, DC-9
Sioux City/1 flight, DC-9 (continued to DEN)
Springfield, Ill./7 flights, FH-227, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9 (all continue to STL)
(Total: 28 weekday departures, 25 on DC-9 jets; note lack of nonstop service to St. Louis)
In mid-December, Ozark announced a reduction in DC-9 service to Chicago-O'Hare, effective January 7, 1979. The airline's timetable for that date shows the following weekday departures -
Atlanta/1 flight, DC-9
Cedar Rapids/1 flight, DC-9 (continues to RST and MSP)
Champaign/Urbana/2 flights, DC-9, DC-9 (continued to IAD and LGA)
Chicago-O'Hare/6 flights, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9, FH-227, FH-227, DC-9
Decatur/2 flights, FH-227, DC-9 (continued to STL)
Denver/1 flight, DC-9
Des Moines/1 flight, DC-9
Detroit/1 flight, DC-9
Indianapolis/2 flights, DC-9, DC-9 (first continues to SDF and TPA)
Minneapolis/St. Paul/1 flight, DC-9
St. Louis/1 flight, DC-9
Sioux City/1 flight, DC-9 (continued to DEN)
Springfield, Ill./5 flights, FH-227, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9 (all continue to STL)
Thus, Ozark reduced weekday departures from 28 to 25. DC-9 jet service declined from 25 departures to 21. Note the resumption of St. Louis nonstop service. No markets were cut, and it should be noted that the Minneapolis/St. Paul-Peoria-Indianapolis-Louisville route was extended to Tampa at this time, giving Peoria long-coveted same-plane service to the growing Florida market. The following schedules* and route map are effective January 7, 1979.
*Ozark schedules are gleaned from a company timetable, which lacks a distinction between a DC-9-10 or DC-9-30.
A TIME FOR CHANGE
The airline industry had only recovered from the 1973-1974 fuel crisis when another hit in late February 1979. Iran's Islamic Revolution led to oil production cuts and suspension of exports. Over the next year, prices per barrel of oil would double, and once again force airlines to trim service. Consequently, Ozark Air Lines temporarily suspended five departures from Peoria in mid-March (East Coast and some Chicago and St. Louis flights). Full East Coast service was restored April 1 but temporarily reduced again in June to deal with the continuing fuel shortage. Recent route and pricing freedoms, however, helped the airline industry adjust far better than in the earlier crisis.
In spring and summer 1979, Peoria attracted several commuters but also renewed interest by a Trunk carrier which had formerly served the city. Ravon Aviation began service April 16, operating eight-seat Piper Navajo Chieftains between Peoria and Chicago-Meigs Field, Rockford and Springfield twice-daily as "Northern Illinois Commuter Airlines." On August 1, NICA began O'Hare service and dropped the Rockford route.
We know why NICA dropped service between Peoria and Rockford. On July 15, Coleman Air Transport began flying five weekday between the two cities with through service to Milwaukee and Detroit using nine-seat Beechcraft King Air 200s. On August 15, the airline expanded again, beginning two weekday roundtrip nonstops between Moline, Peoria and Cleveland using 15-seat Grumman Gulfstreams. In mid-December, all flights were cut save for a Peoria-Rockford-Cleveland route.
Brower Airlines started Quincy-Jacksonville (Ill.)-Peoria-Chicago O'Hare roundtrips on September 1 using a Cessna 402. Service to St. Louis was offered as well. Two others, Britt Airways and Mississippi Valley Airlines, sought to add Peoria service in 1979.
On June 1, Continental Airlines replaced Kansas City with Denver as a stop on the Peoria-Los Angeles route. This made sense as the carrier was building a hub-and-spoke network out of the Mile High City, offering connections throughout the west. The airline had previously used a 727-100 equipped for 105 seats, but shifted to a larger 727-200 with the route change. Rejection of the proposed merger with Western Air Lines came in July, but the carrier would soon gain a Texas-based suitor.
Also in June, Trans World Airlines made public its interest in resuming service to Peoria. Continental's elimination of service between Peoria and Chicago-O'Hare, and Ozark's shift in emphasis to St. Louis made TWA's return more likely. In October, the carrier announced plans for service to Chicago-O'Hare, Kansas City and St. Louis though without a firm start date.
OZARK AIR LINES STRIKE, ROUTE CHANGES
Failing to agree on a new contract prior to the deadline, flight attendants struck Ozark Air Lines on September 14, forcing the carrier to suspend operations for 53 days.
To handle the expected surge in traffic, Continental Airlines added an extra roundtrip between Peoria and Denver. Coleman Air Transport increased its Peoria-Rockford flights to seven roundtrips. Both Britt Airways and Mississippi Valley Airlines (MVA) began offering weekday roundtrips between Peoria and Chicago-O'Hare, former using 19-seat Swearingen Metroliners, the latter 30-seat Shorts 330s. MVA initially offered "strike flights" but began operating a full, regular schedule October 28. Britt soon decided it wanted to stay in Peoria rather than offer temporary "strike flights."
Two other commuters didn't fare so well. Northern Illinois Commuter Airlines suspended operations after September 14. Brower Airlines, which added four extra roundtrips on September 16, was forced to suspend service after one of its Cessna 402s was hit by a van at Chicago-O'Hare two days later. Regular flights resumed September 23. Lack of passengers forced the carrier to end service here after December 9.
During Ozark's strike, two 727-200s ordered in 1978 were delivered in a Boeing-designed livery featuring light and dark green stripes and a revised tail logo. The airline sold the jets to Pan Am for cash but adopted the livery on its DC-9 fleet.
Flight attendants ratified a new contract with Ozark on October 23 and the airline began restoring service on November 5 with seventeen departures from Peoria. The remaining seven (including service to Denver and the East Coast) resumed November 15. On the latter date, Ozark replaced Washington-Dulles with Baltimore.
On December 15, Ozark began operating a Des Moines-Peoria-Indianapolis-Miami route once daily as well as a second daily Atlanta roundtrip (northbound via St. Louis).
AIR CARGO
Federal Express is known to have begun service to Peoria in the fall of 1974. A second all-cargo carrier added the city in the late 1970s. It is unclear exactly when Emery Air Freight began flying planes into Peoria. In 1976, the carrier began chartering a fleet of Cessna Citations to 21 cities from a hub at Dayton, Ohio. Whether Peoria was one of these initial cities is unclear. If not, then service probably began shortly thereafter. The Peoria Journal Star mentioned February 9, 1978 the carrier would use a planned new cargo terminal. On October 19, 1979 it stated the carrier used its own planes here. On December 3, Emery inaugurated service here from Smyrna, Tennessee's former Sewart Air Force Base. A Boeing 727-100 arrived at 0630 and departed at 2200.
MISCELLANEOUS
Ozark Air Lines inaugurated service between St. Louis and Houston (Hobby Airport) on April 1, 1979, offering Peoria same-plane service in both directions for a time. Same-plane service to New Orleans (via Springfield and St. Louis) began May 15, though southbound-only.
In May, PIA began its "O'Hareless Connection" advertising campaign, hoping to expand the facility's market to smaller central Illinois communities. Designated a "small airline hub," it was hoped that new commuter carriers would feed passengers to Ozark flights here.
On Saturday, June 16, the 182nd ANG held another open house and air show free for the public.
In mid-July, both Continental Airlines and Ozark Air Lines reportedly requested Peoria-Newark routes, though neither ever happened.
In September, the 182nd ANG received its first OA-37 Dragonfly. By March 1980, 24 of the light attack aircraft would replace 18 OA-2s then deployed here.
Byerly Aviation's new 52,000-sq. ft. Business Aviation Terminal, with two large hangars and a three-story office in between, opened east of the passenger terminal in November 1979.
SCHEDULES AND ROUTE MAP
Recent service expansion resulted in rapid passenger traffic growth. PIA handled 487,073 passengers in 1977 and 550,997 in 1978. Thanks to the Ozark strike, traffic dipped below 500,000 in 1979*. The following schedule was compiled from various airline timetables and is effective November 15, 1979. Future Miami service is shown as a broken line.
Ozark Air Lines vigorously opposed deregulation, warning proponents that it would result in the loss of service in smaller markets. The Greater Peoria Airport Authority supported deregulation initially, viewing the change as a means to obtain more airlines, but began to modify its view after the announcements of several service cuts.
EFFECTS OF DEREGULATION
There were cutbacks before deregulation. Sometime in 1978, probably summer, Ozark changed its Detroit-Peoria-Moline-Omaha routing to Detroit-Peoria-Des Moines. Citing the need to deploy its planes on other routes, this service was eliminated December 14. The reduction left Peoria with a single roundtrip to the Motor City, which was routed St. Louis-Springfield-Peoria-Detroit. Just prior to these changes, Peoria could still boast in its Ozark service levels. The airline's December 1, 1978 timetable shows the following weekday departures to -
Atlanta/1 flight, DC-9
Cedar Rapids/1 flight, DC-9 (continues to RST and MSP)
Champaign/Urbana/2 flights, DC-9, DC-9 (continued to IAD and LGA)
Chicago-O'Hare/6 flights, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9, FH-227, DC-9, DC-9
Decatur/2 flights, FH-227, DC-9 (continued to STL)
Denver/1 flight, DC-9
Des Moines/2 flights, DC-9, DC-9
Detroit/2 flights, DC-9, DC-9
Indianapolis/2 flights, DC-9, DC-9 (first continues to SDF)
Minneapolis/St. Paul/1 flight, DC-9
Sioux City/1 flight, DC-9 (continued to DEN)
Springfield, Ill./7 flights, FH-227, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9 (all continue to STL)
(Total: 28 weekday departures, 25 on DC-9 jets; note lack of nonstop service to St. Louis)
In mid-December, Ozark announced a reduction in DC-9 service to Chicago-O'Hare, effective January 7, 1979. The airline's timetable for that date shows the following weekday departures -
Atlanta/1 flight, DC-9
Cedar Rapids/1 flight, DC-9 (continues to RST and MSP)
Champaign/Urbana/2 flights, DC-9, DC-9 (continued to IAD and LGA)
Chicago-O'Hare/6 flights, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9, FH-227, FH-227, DC-9
Decatur/2 flights, FH-227, DC-9 (continued to STL)
Denver/1 flight, DC-9
Des Moines/1 flight, DC-9
Detroit/1 flight, DC-9
Indianapolis/2 flights, DC-9, DC-9 (first continues to SDF and TPA)
Minneapolis/St. Paul/1 flight, DC-9
St. Louis/1 flight, DC-9
Sioux City/1 flight, DC-9 (continued to DEN)
Springfield, Ill./5 flights, FH-227, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9 (all continue to STL)
Thus, Ozark reduced weekday departures from 28 to 25. DC-9 jet service declined from 25 departures to 21. Note the resumption of St. Louis nonstop service. No markets were cut, and it should be noted that the Minneapolis/St. Paul-Peoria-Indianapolis-Louisville route was extended to Tampa at this time, giving Peoria long-coveted same-plane service to the growing Florida market. The following schedules* and route map are effective January 7, 1979.
*Ozark schedules are gleaned from a company timetable, which lacks a distinction between a DC-9-10 or DC-9-30.
A TIME FOR CHANGE
The airline industry had only recovered from the 1973-1974 fuel crisis when another hit in late February 1979. Iran's Islamic Revolution led to oil production cuts and suspension of exports. Over the next year, prices per barrel of oil would double, and once again force airlines to trim service. Consequently, Ozark Air Lines temporarily suspended five departures from Peoria in mid-March (East Coast and some Chicago and St. Louis flights). Full East Coast service was restored April 1 but temporarily reduced again in June to deal with the continuing fuel shortage. Recent route and pricing freedoms, however, helped the airline industry adjust far better than in the earlier crisis.
In spring and summer 1979, Peoria attracted several commuters but also renewed interest by a Trunk carrier which had formerly served the city. Ravon Aviation began service April 16, operating eight-seat Piper Navajo Chieftains between Peoria and Chicago-Meigs Field, Rockford and Springfield twice-daily as "Northern Illinois Commuter Airlines." On August 1, NICA began O'Hare service and dropped the Rockford route.
We know why NICA dropped service between Peoria and Rockford. On July 15, Coleman Air Transport began flying five weekday between the two cities with through service to Milwaukee and Detroit using nine-seat Beechcraft King Air 200s. On August 15, the airline expanded again, beginning two weekday roundtrip nonstops between Moline, Peoria and Cleveland using 15-seat Grumman Gulfstreams. In mid-December, all flights were cut save for a Peoria-Rockford-Cleveland route.
Brower Airlines started Quincy-Jacksonville (Ill.)-Peoria-Chicago O'Hare roundtrips on September 1 using a Cessna 402. Service to St. Louis was offered as well. Two others, Britt Airways and Mississippi Valley Airlines, sought to add Peoria service in 1979.
On June 1, Continental Airlines replaced Kansas City with Denver as a stop on the Peoria-Los Angeles route. This made sense as the carrier was building a hub-and-spoke network out of the Mile High City, offering connections throughout the west. The airline had previously used a 727-100 equipped for 105 seats, but shifted to a larger 727-200 with the route change. Rejection of the proposed merger with Western Air Lines came in July, but the carrier would soon gain a Texas-based suitor.
Also in June, Trans World Airlines made public its interest in resuming service to Peoria. Continental's elimination of service between Peoria and Chicago-O'Hare, and Ozark's shift in emphasis to St. Louis made TWA's return more likely. In October, the carrier announced plans for service to Chicago-O'Hare, Kansas City and St. Louis though without a firm start date.
OZARK AIR LINES STRIKE, ROUTE CHANGES
Failing to agree on a new contract prior to the deadline, flight attendants struck Ozark Air Lines on September 14, forcing the carrier to suspend operations for 53 days.
To handle the expected surge in traffic, Continental Airlines added an extra roundtrip between Peoria and Denver. Coleman Air Transport increased its Peoria-Rockford flights to seven roundtrips. Both Britt Airways and Mississippi Valley Airlines (MVA) began offering weekday roundtrips between Peoria and Chicago-O'Hare, former using 19-seat Swearingen Metroliners, the latter 30-seat Shorts 330s. MVA initially offered "strike flights" but began operating a full, regular schedule October 28. Britt soon decided it wanted to stay in Peoria rather than offer temporary "strike flights."
Two other commuters didn't fare so well. Northern Illinois Commuter Airlines suspended operations after September 14. Brower Airlines, which added four extra roundtrips on September 16, was forced to suspend service after one of its Cessna 402s was hit by a van at Chicago-O'Hare two days later. Regular flights resumed September 23. Lack of passengers forced the carrier to end service here after December 9.
During Ozark's strike, two 727-200s ordered in 1978 were delivered in a Boeing-designed livery featuring light and dark green stripes and a revised tail logo. The airline sold the jets to Pan Am for cash but adopted the livery on its DC-9 fleet.
Flight attendants ratified a new contract with Ozark on October 23 and the airline began restoring service on November 5 with seventeen departures from Peoria. The remaining seven (including service to Denver and the East Coast) resumed November 15. On the latter date, Ozark replaced Washington-Dulles with Baltimore.
On December 15, Ozark began operating a Des Moines-Peoria-Indianapolis-Miami route once daily as well as a second daily Atlanta roundtrip (northbound via St. Louis).
AIR CARGO
Federal Express is known to have begun service to Peoria in the fall of 1974. A second all-cargo carrier added the city in the late 1970s. It is unclear exactly when Emery Air Freight began flying planes into Peoria. In 1976, the carrier began chartering a fleet of Cessna Citations to 21 cities from a hub at Dayton, Ohio. Whether Peoria was one of these initial cities is unclear. If not, then service probably began shortly thereafter. The Peoria Journal Star mentioned February 9, 1978 the carrier would use a planned new cargo terminal. On October 19, 1979 it stated the carrier used its own planes here. On December 3, Emery inaugurated service here from Smyrna, Tennessee's former Sewart Air Force Base. A Boeing 727-100 arrived at 0630 and departed at 2200.
MISCELLANEOUS
Ozark Air Lines inaugurated service between St. Louis and Houston (Hobby Airport) on April 1, 1979, offering Peoria same-plane service in both directions for a time. Same-plane service to New Orleans (via Springfield and St. Louis) began May 15, though southbound-only.
In May, PIA began its "O'Hareless Connection" advertising campaign, hoping to expand the facility's market to smaller central Illinois communities. Designated a "small airline hub," it was hoped that new commuter carriers would feed passengers to Ozark flights here.
On Saturday, June 16, the 182nd ANG held another open house and air show free for the public.
In mid-July, both Continental Airlines and Ozark Air Lines reportedly requested Peoria-Newark routes, though neither ever happened.
In September, the 182nd ANG received its first OA-37 Dragonfly. By March 1980, 24 of the light attack aircraft would replace 18 OA-2s then deployed here.
Byerly Aviation's new 52,000-sq. ft. Business Aviation Terminal, with two large hangars and a three-story office in between, opened east of the passenger terminal in November 1979.
SCHEDULES AND ROUTE MAP
Recent service expansion resulted in rapid passenger traffic growth. PIA handled 487,073 passengers in 1977 and 550,997 in 1978. Thanks to the Ozark strike, traffic dipped below 500,000 in 1979*. The following schedule was compiled from various airline timetables and is effective November 15, 1979. Future Miami service is shown as a broken line.
*Per enplanement figures given by the Illinois Airport Inventory Report 2012, PIA's 1979 passenger tally was about 484,000.
- David P. Jordan
great work thanks
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