Peoria Station

There can be no doubt that 1986 and 1987 were good years for PIA. Things began to change in 1988.  That winter, the Greater Peoria Airport could still boast three major airlines offering service to four hubs, frequent commuter service to the nation's busiest airport (Chicago-O'Hare Int'l) as well as flights to Chicago Midway. Passenger traffic had dipped in 1987, but held well above 400,000 travelers.  Before getting to the meat, it is necessary to review the REGIONAL AIRPORT STUDY . Conflict between parties continued into the new year. In January, PIA Director Ron Burling, a member of the study's technical committee, said conclusions should be based on facts rather than an assumption that a regional airport must be built. He also advocated for inclusion of findings from a 1979 regional service study. In an apparent nod to Burling's idea, Peoria Mayor Jim Maloof desired to change the committee's purpose from a regional airport feasibility study to a ser...

Peoria Int'l Airport broke a record in October.  Last month, 58,282 passengers passed through PIA's gates, according to this Peoria Journal Star story posted yesterday . The previous October record was posted last year with 56,290 passengers.  These numbers are good news, because 2018 will likely be a record year for the local facility. This comes as the airport is set to lose its twice-daily nonstop service (via Delta Connection) to Detroit. Reduced capacity can result in higher fares, but the recent drop in oil prices should temper this trend. Also, as reported earlier, American Eagle is upgrading Charlotte nonstops with larger jets in February. Passenger volume the first ten months of 2018 is up seven percent over last year's 635,003. If that holds, PIA will finish the year with roughly 680,000 passengers. Figures are five percent above 2015's record 641,671 travelers so should holiday traffic hold as expected, we'll easily break the record.  ...

I'm glad I rode it when I did.  Brightline, the privately-operated rail passenger company which operates between West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, announced Friday that it has become a partner with Virgin Group.  London, England-based Virgin Group is owner of Virgin Atlantic Airways. The most visible change will be re-branding of Brightline passenger trainsets and stations to "Virgin Trains USA." Virgin becomes a minority owner so Brightline management will continue to run the operation.  Virgin Atlantic Airways serves Miami. Brightline intends to extend its service to Orlando International Airport by early 2021, and Tampa at a later date. Virgin Atlantic Airways also serves Orlando, so passenger train service to South Florida and the Tampa Bay area will offer excellent connections to those areas.  Brightline recently announced plans to develop passenger train service between Las Vegas and Southern California. The Virgin connection works w...

Time for more Transportation Q & A! Feel free to post your questions in the comments section on any transportation topic. If I don't have an answer, I'll find one. I'm working on the "PIA - A History: Events of 1988" post. Expect it in the near future.  - David P. Jordan

This blog reported the story on October 29; Peoria's newspaper of record reported it November 9. Better late than never, I guess. Friday evening, the Peoria Journal Star posted this story on American Eagle's plan to upgauge to larger aircraft on its daily nonstops to American Airlines' Charlotte hub. While there is nothing new in the article, the writer managed to bungle one fact: The three daily flights operated by American Airlines affiliates... American Eagle operates two daily flights (roundtrips, actually) between Peoria and Charlotte. - David P. Jordan

Happenings were frequent in 1987, so I'm sticking with analysis-by-year for now. Those late-1986 mergers brought less competition and higher fares into 1987. As a consequence, scheduled flights and passenger traffic decreased. These were good times, however. Let's begin with a rundown of happenings by airline. AMERICAN EAGLE (Simmons Airlines) When 1987 began, this carrier offered six weekday roundtrips between Peoria and Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) and four Peoria-Springfield (SPI) tag-ons. The latter gained a fifth roundtrip on February 2. On March 1, American Eagle eliminated an O'Hare roundtrip, and reduced Springfield tag-ons to four until April 5. Scheduling five ORD-PIA-SPI roundtrips continued to be the norm through November. Until October 1, American Eagle operated a 46-seat ATR-42 on a mid-afternoon turnaround from Chicago-O'Hare. Then on November 1, it resumed use of the French-built turboprop on late-morning turnaround from Chicago-O'Hare. All other...

Peoria's twice-daily Charlotte nonstops are getting bigger planes next year. Thanks to a tip from a commenter, I searched American Airlines' website and found that both roundtrips are being upgauge from 50-seat CRJ200s to 63- to 65-seat CRJ700s beginning February 14, 2019.  It is possible that the additional capacity was already planned as smaller regional jets are phased out, but competition might be another reason. Delta Air Lines schedules show 76-seat CRJ900s operating some Peoria-Atlanta roundtrips in November. I expect bigger jets on that route to compensate for the loss of Detroit flights late that month.  Whether due to competitive pressures or a scheduled phase-out of the older, smaller jets, any upgauge is good news for Peoria travelers.  PHOTO COPYRIGHT 2017 by David P. Jordan  - An American Eagle CRJ700 is shown July 29, 2017 on final approach to Chicago-O'Hare International Airport.   - David P. Jordan