PIA - A History: Events of 1990

Frequent happenings continued into the 1990s so I'll continue with my yearly theme for awhile longer. 

The Peoria Journal Star carried a piece the last day of 1989 in which reporter Stephen Wittmer predicted stable economic growth into the next decade, but cautioned that improved airline service depended on an increase in our passenger base. (Growth did not necessarily require significant population growth*, but rather, a return to competitive air fares.)

Suffice if to say, Peoria's local passenger base didn't grow in 1990, but the airport attracted two new airlines and learned of prospects for jet service to Chicago! Let's review airline happenings for the year. Specific flight details in the airline summary below were culled from the OAG's April 1990 Pocket Flight Guide.

*Peoria's Metropolitan Statistical Area lost significant population in the 1980s. The 1980 census shows 365,774 residents in the Tri-County area but ten years later this number had declined to 338,263. Peoria itself declined from 124,813 residents to 112,731 during the same period. 

AMERICAN EAGLE (Simmons Airlines)
Nine daily (eight Saturday) roundtrips were operated between Peoria and Chicago-O'Hare and tag-ons to Burlington, Iowa (one), Galesburg (two) and Quincy (one). All 13 weekday departures were operated with 36-seat Shorts 360 equipment.

Galesburg was dropped May 10 due to insufficient load factors. Galesburg Municipal Airport had lost eligibility for Essential Air Service (EAS) subsidies due to proximity to Moline's Quad City Airport. This change reduced American Eagle service out of Peoria to 11 daily departures. Quincy was dropped August 20, reducing service to ten daily departures (possibly nine if an O'Hare roundtrip was eliminated with elimination of tag-ons).

Despite the loss of two Galesburg, tag-ons, flight frequency to Chicago-O'Hare probably remained unchanged. Peoria Journal Star printed ads in May showing nine roundtrips as well as a drawing of an ATR-42. The newer and larger (46 seats) turboprop probably returned to the Peoria market around this time*.

*Those of you who remember the kidnapping by Columbian guerillas of Peoria mining engineer Scott Heimdal may recall local news coverage of his homecoming in early July 1990. I remember footage showing his arrival on an American Eagle ATR-42.

MIDWAY CONNECTION (Fischer Bros. Aviation)
Six daily (five Sunday) roundtrips linked Peoria with Midway Airlines' hub at Chicago Midway Airport. All flights were operated with 19-seat Dornier 228 turboprops. The daily Springfield tag-on had been reduced to a weekend turnaround by this time.

MIDWEST EXPRESS CONNECTION (Skyway Airlines)
Midwest Express Airlines (YX) was formed by Kimberly-Clark Corp. in 1984 to provide company officers and engineers scheduled flights to destinations near the firm's paper mills. Although based at Appleton, Wisconsin, the carrier added major destinations from Milwaukee's General Mitchell Field. Skyway Airlines was created by Mesa Air Group in 1989 to feed Midwest Express Airlines' (YX) Milwaukee hub. Branded as "Midwest Express Connection," the carrier operated a fleet of 19-seat Beech 1900s.

Twelve years after Deregulation, and eight years after losing its last scheduled, roundtrip, point-to-point flights, Peoria gained same-plane service on Midwest Express Connection not to Midwest Express' Milwaukee hub, but to Detroit. Flights began September 17 with two daily roundtrips stopping at Bloomington-Normal in each direction. With no YX hub at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, these flights catered to local business traffic, such as for automotive and insurance industries. Service proved successful, with full planes (probably including Bloomington-Normal traffic) the second day of service.

NORTHWEST AIRLINK (Express Airlines I)
Three weekday roundtrips (one Saturday, two Sunday) were operated with 19-seat Jetstream 31s between Peoria and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

In a strange turn of events, the GPAA accused Express Airlines I of failing to comply with a civil rights requirement. If it did not meet the requirement by the end of March, it risked termination of its lease agreement with the airport. Airline spokesman David Lowe (whom I met during public demonstration flights in April 1988) denied having a problem. The GPAA voted to terminate its lease for failure to comply, but in early April the airline submitted its assurance of compliance and the issue was resolved. 

TRANS WORLD AIRLINES/TRANS WORLD EXPRESS (Trans States Airlines)
Trans World Airlines offered four weekday (three weekend) roundtrips between Peoria and St. Louis, three on DC-9-30s and one on a DC-9-10. Trans World Express offered five weekday (three Saturday, four Sunday) between these points, two on 48-seat ATR-42s and three on 19-seat Fairchild Metros. One TWA DC-9 roundtrip operated weekdays only, and was covered by a TW Express ATR-42 on the weekend.

An ominous sign for the region came when TWA withdrew its jet service from Champaign-Urbana's Willard Airport shortly after a new terminal building opened there in October 1989. Apparently, TWA no longer considered jet service to that city necessary to retain a competitive position there. Air Midwest's TW Express flights would suffice.

UNITED AIR LINES/UNITED EXPRESS (Air Wisconsin)
United Air Lines operated a daily Denver-Peoria-Moline-Denver afternoon itinerary and a daily Denver-Moline-Peoria roundtrip with 124-seat Boeing 737-300s.

United Express operated six weekday (four Saturday, five Sunday) roundtrips between Peoria and Chicago-O'Hare with 50-seat F-27s.

In 1989, Air Wisconsin received good news when the Federal Aviation Administration modified slot restrictions to permit operation at Chicago-O'Hare International Airport of turboprops equipped for less than 75 seats. The carrier had ordered 14 British Aerospace ATPs for use out of O'Hare, the first of which was delivered in January 1990. Four more would follow that year (with another five in 1991), but the 64-seat planes wouldn't be deployed to Peoria in 1990.

USAIR EXPRESS (Jetstream International Airlines)
Dayton, Ohio-based Jetstream International Airlines replaced defunct Air Kentucky as the USAir Express feeder at Indianapolis. The carrier quickly resumed Indianapolis service to both Decatur and Champaign-Urbana in 1989 (August 1 and October 1, respectively), but waited until August 1, 1990 to resume Peoria flights. Four roundtrips were offered on weekdays, with one stopping at Decatur in each direction. All were operated with 19-seat Jetstream 31s.

CHICAGO JET SERVICE?
Soon after Air Wisconsin successfully petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration to increase the seat limit for commuter slots at O'Hare, American Airlines asked for a further increase to 110 seats. In March 1989, the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier announced a large order for 75 Fokker 100 twinjets. The 97-seat planes were intended to replace aging Boeing 727-100s, but also upgauge service on routes served by turboprops. The Peoria Journal Star ran a story March 8 mentioning the possibility of American Airlines using the new jets in place of American Eagle turboprops.

Airport officials met with American Airlines in Fort Worth July 5 and then traveled to Washington, D.C. on July 30 to lobby for a change in slot rules. On September 6, American filed a petition to the FAA to have the seat limit raised to 110. Other smaller Midwest communities (Fargo, ND; Madison, WI*; Sioux Falls, SD; and Springfield, IL) understood the opportunity and lobbied for the change.

The FAA considered American Airlines' petition, but a December 5 story indicated a decision would not be made until summer.

*Madison, Wisconsin had already gained mainline jet service to Chicago-O'Hare on United Air Lines, which replaced six United Express commuter flights with a mix of 727s and 737s on September 7, 1988. On November 15, 1989 Midway Airlines inaugurated DC-9 service to Chicago-Midway Airport in place of two (or three) roundtrip Midway Connection turboprop flights. Then on December 16, American Airlines replaced five American Eagle commuter roundtrips to Chicago-O'Hare with 727s and MD-80s. Perhaps officials of Dane County Regiomal Airport understood that such service was unsustainable in the longterm without the availability of smaller jets and a rule change to accomodate them? 

NEW ANG BASE, AIRPORT EXPANSION
Construction of the new ANG base made great progress. A January 4 story reports work was ahead of schedule and under budget, and that four buildings then under construction may be in use by mid-year. Federal budget deficits, however, forced a spending freeze late that month, and construction ceased. The spending freeze was lifted April 30 and construction resumed. Bids soon opened for three more buildings. In June, another spending freeze new construction until November 15. After funds were approved for additional projects. Some of the new buildings were dedicated on December 27. Completion of the complex was still targeted for 1994.

In May, $8 million in funds were obtained to assist PIA's cargo growth. In 1990, volume grew 50 percent to some 30 million pounds. Bigger jets were expected so Runway 13-31 was to be extended '500 to the northwest and Runway 4-22 was to be extended 1,000' to the southwest.

NEWSPAPER SILLY SEASON '90
Silliness continued unabated into the new decade. The Peoria Journal Star headline on July 21 read, Peoria to Indianapolis jet service starts Aug. 1. No doubt the Jet part of "Jetstream" confused the writer!

An October 2 Peoria Journal Star story gave an incorrect start date for Skyway Airlines' new Detroit service, stating it began September 15. A September 18 story confirmed that service began the day prior (note they bungled their own record after two weeks!). The same article stated that prior service to Detroit (by Northwest Airlines) ended in April 1988, though the last flights operated on May 1 that year.

A December 11 story discussing American Airlines' Fokker 100s calls them "German-made." Although he manufactured planes in Germany before the Treaty of Versailles (1919) forbade such activity, Anthony Fokker was a Dutchman (born in colonial East Java, or modern-day Indonesia), and moved his factory to the Netherlands.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.
A February 8 story detailed findings of an 18-month noise study. Air cargo and business jet traffic was expected to boom between 1993 and 2008 while air carrier and general aviation traffic growth would be more moderate.

At the February meeting, the board agreed to a new 35-year lease with Byerly Aviation. The old lease expired at the end of 1991, the new one expires September 30, 2024 (it was apparently backdated from October 1, 1989, the start of the 1990 fiscal year).

A February 24 Forum Letter to the Peoria Journal Star indicates disatisfaction with GPAA by general aviation pilots. Hangars built some 40 years earlier needed repairs. Money spent studying a Chicago-Kansas City toll road seemed less important.

The planned Peoria Air Far '90 was canceled in early March, likely due to airfield construction.

On March 10, a twin-engine Piper PA-60-601P crashed in Bartonville while on final approach. Investigators believe the aircraft was hit by lightning.

An April 14 story mentions the possibility of PIA becoming a convict transfer site when the new Federal prison at Pekin opens in 1993. At the time, the U. S. Marshals Service operated two Boeing 727s for this purpose, making stops in 33 cities.

A May 30 story details State Senator Richard Luft's (D-Pekin) push to land a United Air Lines Boeing 737 maintenance center. Governor Thompson preferred Chanute AFB at Rantoul, because it was slated for closure in 1993. Luft knew Chanute lacked aircraft operations since 1971, and believed Peoria to be a better selection. United chose Indianapolis Int'l Airport for its new base, however, opening it in 1994.

A July 20 story announced the retirement of 18 OA-37 "Dragonfly" aircraft, which had been flying with the 182nd ANG since January 1, 1980. In their place, a like number of General Dynamics F-16 "Fighting Falcons." The upgrade promised to add 91 new full-time jobs and 284 drilling guardsmen to the existing 997 personnel. Rep. Bob Michel was credited with getting these planes for the local base.

Late morning, August 3, two USAF KC-135 tankers and an E-4 (Boeing 747 command post)  practiced "strategic" approaches at PIA. (On an overcast November day, I recall observing through the windows of the Limestone Community High School cafeteria at least two passes by an E-4.)

Installation of dark-colored, reflective plexiglass panels on the control tower was expected to be complete before winter, thus eliminating the "checkerboard" look dating from its 1959 opening.

A September 23 story announced F Company, 106th Aviation Regiment would receive seven "Chinook" helicopters in 1992. These were in addition to the 16 UH-1H "Huey" helicopters assigned to the 1st Battalion - 106th Aviation Regiment in late 1988.

A December 20 story confirmed that runway extensions prevented a 1991 air show.

SCHEDULE, ROUTE MAP
The Peoria Journal Star failed to publish full passenger traffic stats for the years 1990-1993 so an estimate, based on a chart provided by a January 9, 1998 Peoria Journal Star story, is the best I can do at this time. A graph shows that PIA handled approximately 448,000 passengers in 1990, most attributable to the strong local economy, retention of TWA and United jet service and new flights by USAir Express and Skyway Airlines to Indianapolis and Detroit, respectively.

Although Peoria's economy hummed along through 1990, the national economy dipped into a mild recession by mid-year. Tight monetary policy by the Federal Reserve slowed the economy in 1989-90 and then the Savings & Loan Crisis caused a credit shortage. When Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ordered his armed forces to invade and occupy neighboring Kuwait on August 2, subsequent reduction in oil production resulted in price shock. Average price per barrel rose from $17 in July to $36 by October. Consumer and business confidence declined and a worldwide slump ensued. Suddenly higher fuel prices hurt the airlines. But as prices fell, traffic lagged (especially Trans-Atlantic flights) and red ink flowed. The consequences would soon prove frustrating for cities like Peoria. More on that in subsequent posts.

My only source for the year - OAG's April 1990 Pocket Flight Guide - shows 39 weekday departures on seven carriers - American Eagle (13), Midway Connection (6), Northwest Airlink (3), TWA (4), TW Express (5), United (2) and United Express (6). The loss of Galesburg and Quincy tag-ons reduced this number to 36 (or 35), but new flights by Skyway Airlines and USAir Express increased service to 41 or 42 weekday departures.

Note that TWA offered same-plane service to Dallas/Ft. Worth in both directions. I've included DFW on the route map below.

- David P. Jordan