Peoria Station

As 1980 passed the baton to 1981, there was reason for optimism. Details of weekday departures per Ozark Air Lines' December 15, 1980 timetable offers evidence. Baltimore /1 flight, DC-9 (continues to LGA) Cedar Rapids /2 flights, DC-9, DC-9 (2nd continued to MSP) Champaign-Urbana /2 flights, DC-9 (continues to BWI* & LGA), DC-9 Chicago-O'Hare /3 flights, DC-9, DC-9, DC-9 Denver /2 flights, DC-9, DC-9 Detroit-Metro /1 flight, DC-9 Indianapolis /2 flights, DC-9 (continues to BNA & TPA), DC-9 Minneapolis-St. Paul /1 flight, DC-9 Moline /2 flights, DC-9, DC-9 St. Louis /3 flights, DC-9 (continues to MCO), DC-9, DC-9 (3rd continues to DFW) Springfield (IL) /2 flights, DC-9 (continues to STL & COU), DC-9 (continues to STL) * Baltimore/Washington International Airport changed its three-letter code from BAL to BWI effective October 26, 1980 . Weekday departures had risen from 20 to 21 and there were now two nonstops to Denver (one return flight continued ...

To understand events of 1980, we must begin in late-1979. The completion of the Interstate 474 bypass (and Airport Road interchange) on December 20 that year expanded PIA's catchment area, but unfortunately failed to compensate for an increasingly difficult period in local aviation history.  The UAW Local 974 struck area Caterpillar Tractor Company plant on October 1, 1979, forcing a reduction in manufacturing and logistics operations. The walkout ended in mid-December but reduced corporate (and probably leisure) travel, impacting passenger traffic at the Greater Peoria Airport. On October 6, 1979 the Federal Reserve changed its monetary policy as a means to slay inflation, resulting in much higher interest rates. Already suffering from rising unemployment, the national economy plunged into recession from January to July 1980. From May 5 through June 1, Ozark Air Lines was shut down due to a mechanic's strike. As a consequence of each event noted above, PIA passenger...