Peoria Int'l Airport Air Service Detail & Analysis - July 2023

It is time for my annual update on local airline service. 

A summer month is best for this update. I used July in last year's update, and I have every reason to do so this year. Barring last minute changes, the schedules and route map below are accurate. So let's delve into the present situation. 

ALLEGIANT AIR
Like last year, schedules for July 2023 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 used on Denver, Las Vegas and Nashville routes. Subsititutions do happen and due to complexity with Allegiant Air schedules, the equipment shown may be oversimplified in a few places. 

FUTURE - Fuel shock following sanctions against Russia for its February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine quickly caused a steep increase in aviation fuel prices just as the last states were ending COVID restrictions. I predicted last summer that this fuel shock, reminiscent of the 1973-1974 and 1979-1980 periods, would lead to reduced airline service. 

Fortunately, prices began to moderate in mid-2022 as consumers adjusted their traveling habits and the Biden Administration rescinded some anti-fossil fuel regulations enacted in early 2021. Seasonal Fort Lauderdale flights have not returned, and Allegiant Air's weekly departures stand at 23 (versus 26 in July 2022), but economic damage from high fuel prices was minimal. 

As mentioned in last year's update, Allegiant Air and VivaAerobus announced a partnership in late 2021 that may give Peoria its first foreign carrier, as well as long-coveted nonstops to Cancun, Mexico. Despite opposition from Allegiant Air's pilots' union, both nations' regulators apparently favor the deal. The Mexican government gave its approval in August 2022. The United States Department of Transportation has shown its support, though final approval awaits. 

Allegiant Air begins receiving the first of 50 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in 2023. I expect these will show up on Peoria flights before long. 

AMERICAN EAGLE (Air Wisconsin, Envoy Airlines, PSA Airlines)

While frequency offered in July 2023 is unchanged from a year ago, all three destinations have seen equipment changes. 

- Since late-summer 2022, PSA Airlines has been using 76-seat Canadair CRJ900s on both Charlotte nonstops in place of the 65- or 67-seat CRJ700s. Schedules show a reversion back to CRJ700s on March 26, but the larger planes returned a short time later, probably due to higher summer demand. 

- Air Wisconsin now provides two daily roundtrips between Peoria and Chicago-O'Hare on 50-seat Canadair CRJ200s. This equipment replaced 50-seat Embraer 145s operated by Envoy Airlines, probably by early April 2023. The Appleton, Wisconsin-based carrier ended its United Airlines affiliation in favor of a deal with American Airlines. This change is significant: Embraer jets wearing American Eagle colors had been used on the Peoria to Chicago-O'Hare route since January 7, 1999. 

- Envoy Airlines flies two roundtrips daily between Peoria and Dallas/Ft. Worth on 76-seat Embraer 175s. The carrier phased in these aircraft to replace Mesa Airlines, which ended its alliance with American Airlines on April 3, 2023. The use of this equipment began with an overnight turnaround in January (or earlier). When Mesa quit flying for American, an Embraer 175 began operating the afternoon turnaround. Interestingly, equipment reverts to PSA Airlines-operated Canadair CRJ900s on July 6. 

FUTURE - American Eagle was the only major airline affiliate serving PIA which did not blink during the virus panic of 2020-2022. United Express wanted to withdraw, but fortunately was denied its request. Delta Connection desired the same, and succeeded. The Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria should never forget that. 

UNITED EXPRESS (SkyWest Airlines)

Twice-daily service to Chicago-O'Hare is being offered by SkyWest Airlines, which replaced Air Wisconsin by early April 2023. Air Wisconsin, already mentioned above, ended its affiliation with United Airlines in favor of one with American Airlines. Although the same equipment (50-seat Canadair CRJ200s) is being used for this service by SkyWest, a third roundtrip is being added effective Saturday, July 8. 

FUTURE - The spike in fuel prices and a continuing pilots' shortage during 2022 risked further destruction of air service at smaller cities such as Peoria. The former eased after mid-year but the latter issue continues, and may worsen before the situation improves. 

PASSENGER TRAFFIC CONTINUES RECOVERY

Peoria Int'l Airport handled 326,861 passengers in 2020 and 480,006 in 2021 and  as air travel began recovering from the "pandemic" panic. In 2022, the local facility handled 573,911 passengers. Even last year's stats pale in comparison to 2019's record 689,416 but recovery is unmistakable. 

FUTURE AIR SERVICE
That American Eagle has increased seating capacity on its Charlotte nonstops and United Express will resume a third roundtrip to Chicago-O'Hare this month indicates returning business travel. Competitive pressures and influence from the Peoria area's largest single employer, Caterpillar, might bring Delta Connection back to the Peoria market, but probably not in the near future. 

Allegiant Air continues to grow its route system. If and when the Viva Aerobus deal is finally approved, Peoria can look forward to weekly, seasonal nonstops to Cancun, Mexico. As for the domestic market, I'd say Allegiant Air might offer twice-weekly nonstops to Austin, Texas and possibly even Los Angeles in the near future. 

AIR CARGO

United Parcel Service freighters stop at Peoria in each direction on flights between its Louisville (KY) and Rockford (IL) hubs. Flight No. 617 operates late-evening southbound Monday through Friday and Flight No. 618 operates Tuesday through Saturday in the pre-dawn hours. Most flights are operated by Airbus A300-600Fs, though similar-sized Boeing 767-300Fs cover Saturday flights. The carrier is the only one using dedicated freighters here, and handled 17 million, 20 million and 21.9 million pounds of cargo here in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. 

FLIGHT SCHEDULES, ROUTE MAP

My sources for the July 2023 schedules below are the carriers' online schedules. As usual, Allegiant Air literally schedules some of the same flights week-to-week at different times by a few minutes. I noticed that more flights are operating at the same times than before, thus making it easier to create schedules. Allegiant Air offers four "turnarounds" on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, two on Wednesdays and one on Tuesdays. Flights are spread out more than last year when Saturdays offered no less than six "turnarounds."

In summary, PIA offers twelve nonstop destinations on three carriers. Allegiant Air flies 23 weekly departures (four to six daily) to Denver, Destin/Ft. Walton Beach, Las Vegas, Nashville, Orlando-Sanford, Phoenix-Mesa, Punta Gorda/Ft. Myers, Sarasota/Bradenton and St. Petersburg/Clearwater. American Eagle flies six daily departures to Charlotte, Chicago-O'Hare and Dallas/Ft. Worth. United Express flies three daily departures to Chicago-O'Hare. Thus, departures by all three carriers total between ten and fourteen, depending on the day of the week.

- David P. Jordan