Peoria Station

It is hard to believe that more than 20 years have passed since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. My generation will always remember that day, which will live in infamy just as December 7, 1941 did to an earlier generation.  The world of commercial aviation was much different prior to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Flight 93. At PIA, before 9-11, you didn't have to be a ticketed passenger to go through security for a closer look at commercial airliners parked at their terminal gate. I took advantage of that freedom many times. So I will remember what was best about 2001 as I continue Peoria's commercial aviation history.  Despite the terror of late summer, the year 2001 was much improved over 2000. Let's review events by airline. AMERICAN EAGLE (American Eagle Airlines Inc.) American Airlines' regional partner offered five weekday roundtrips between Peoria and Chicago-O'Hare, all on 50-seat Embraer 145s. This was a good offerin...

Frontier Airlines will offer Las Vegas nonstops from Bloomington-Normal's Central Illinois Regional Airport (CIRA) Starting August 12. Service will be offered on Thursdays and Sundays using 168-seat Airbus A-320 aircraft. Presently, Frontier offers Denver and Orlando nonstops thrice-weekly on a seasonal basis. Service to Las Vegas will be seasonal as well. Frontier's new flights are not the first time CIRA offered Las Vegas nonstops. AirTran Airways offered quad-weekly service from August 15, 2007 through April 8, 2008 on 137-seat Boeing 737-700s. Service was suspended until August that year due to rising fuel prices, but in fact never returned. It should also be noted that CIRA handled 183,190 passengers in 2020. This figure was down 56.5 percent from 2019 volume.  - David P. Jordan

While most media outlets from coast to coast report their local airports' passenger figures by mid- to-late January, The Pantagraph waited until March 27  to report CIRA's figures, which was 333,932.  Last year's tally represented the lowest figure since 1997 when 281,942 passengers used Central Illinois Regional Airport's terminal facilities. Traffic was down 12 percent from 2016's tally of 381,109 passengers.  A 12 percent decline may be embarrassing, but such figures need to be reported without delay. News is news, good or bad. The reasons given are predictable, and one is simply bogus. A combination of airline mergers and a slowdown in local business travel continue to drive passengers away from the Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington as officials look for ways to reverse the disappointing trend. Airline mergers? Southwest Airlines acquired AirTran Airways in May 2011 and withdrew from Central Illinois Regional Airport (CIRA) in ...