Peoria Station

On July 11, the Federal Aviation Administration extended its Chicago-O'Hare flight cap for another year. Central Illinois media took nearly two weeks to report the effects on United Express service to Bloomington-Normal and Champaign-Urbana.  As expected, United Express must delay service to both cities by at least another year. Before the flight cap extension, four daily roundtrips were slated to begin on October 24.  Bloomington-Normal's WGLT 89.1 FM radio reported the story here . Champaign-Urbana's WCIA Channel 3 reported the story for its viewers here .  It seems that the FAA's flight cap will prevent service from starting to either city, and there is no longer a start date. The previous delays were frustrating to CIRA, as signage, staffing and ticketing were ready for the start of service when originally set to start on May 7.  - David P. Jordan 

Morning airline operations at Peoria Int'l Airport on May 25, 2026 Evening airline operations at Peoria Int'l Airport on May 25, 2026 It is time for my annual update on local airline service.  As usual, I use the month of July for my annaul analysis. Barring last minute changes, the schedules and route map below are accurate. So let us delve into the present situation.  ALLEGIANT AIR Like last year, schedules for July 2026 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 Las Vegas and Orlando-Sanford routes. Brand new Boeing 737 Max 8-200 aircraft began appearing on St. Petersburg/Clearwater nonstops as early as February 2025 and are also used on some of the Orlando-Sanford nonstops. These new Boeing planes are equipped with 190 seats.  Compared to July 2025, the airline is offering four fewer weekly departures. The most significant change ...

I searched and can't find a prior post on this, so I'll do one now.  I found a WGLT 89.1 FM web article on CIRA's 2025 performance. It was posted on February 13 .  Director Carl Olson told WGLT's Charlie Schlenker that his facility handled about 325,000 passengers last year. This is a slight decline from 2024 (329,648) and 2023 (334,888).  But at the time of Olson's interview, CIRA's future looked bright, and that recent airline service announcements pointed to growth. He cited strong load factores in the upper 80s and lower 90s, and hoped new service for the spring of 2026 - Allegiant Air to Phoenix-Mesa, a 3rd daily Atlanta frequency on Delta Connection and new service by United Express (four daily Chicago-O'Hare roundtrips) - would keep fares down.  Unfortunately, the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to cap Chicago-O'Hare flights from May 17 through October 23 this year will stunt CIRA's growth in 2026. It may grow, but not as much. ...

I caught a little action at Peoria Int'l Airport this evening. I arrived my spot with just seconds to spare for the Allegiant Air 737 MAX-8. The American Eagle retrojet returned, and I stayed awhile to record more action, including the MAX-8's departure. Judging by the passenger terminal parking lot, business is good at PIA! CAPTION: Five commercial airliner movements are shown at Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria Int'l Airport Monday evening, May 25, 2026.  -Allegiant Air Flt 2904, Boeing 737 MAX-8 from Orlando-Sanford -SkyWest Airlines (United Express) Flt 6047, CRJ200 from Chicago-O'Hare -Envoy Airlines (American Eagle) Flt 3740, Embraer 170 to Chicago-O'Hare -PSA Airlines (American Eagle) Flt 5340, CRJ900 to Dallas/Ft. Worth -Allegiant Air Flt 2920, Boeing 737 MAX-8 to Orlando-Sanford - David P. Jordan

I caught a little action at Peoria Int'l Airport this morning. I missed its arrival on Runway 22 but did not expect to see the American Eagle retrojet, so I went back to see its departure. (I may go back this evening to get an Allegiant Air Boeing 737 MAX 8 scheduled from Orlando-Sanford.) CAPTION: Five commercial airliner movements are shown at Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria Int'l Airport Monday morning, May 25, 2026. -SkyWest Airlines (United Express) Flt 4780, CRJ200 to Chicago-O'Hare -Allegiant Air Flt 2465, Airbus A320-200 from Punta Gorda -SkyWest Airlines (United Express) Flt 5455, Embraer 175 to Denver -Allegiant Air Flt 2484, Airbus A320-200 to Punta Gorda -Envoy Airlines (American Eagle) Flt 3741, Embraer 170 to Chicago-O'Hare - David P. Jordan

As expected, the Federal Aviation Administration's cap on flights at Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, effective from May 17 until October 24, will delay introduction of United Express service to both Bloomington-Normal and Champaign-Urbana.  Both Central Illinois cities were to receive service by the airline - four roundtrips daily - starting May 7 and April 30, respectively. Champaign-Urbana's flights were already delayed to June 1. Now, both routes will begin on October 24, the day flight caps end.  Confirmation of the delay for United Express service out of Champaign-Urbana's Willard Airport can be found here.  for Bloomington-Normal's Central Illinois Regional Airport, see here .  - David P Jordan

United Express is increasing service to Peoria again. The carrier has returned to five daily roundtrips between Peoria International Airport and Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, probably this month. But on March 30-31, service increases to SEVEN daily roundtrips. The schedule for that date is as follows- From Chicago-O'Hare 10:02 CRJ200 12:36 CRJ200 14:07 CRJ550 16:44 CRJ200 18:53 CRJ200 21:08 CRJ550 22:27 CRJ200 To Chicago-O'Hare 06:30 CRJ550 08:15 CRJ200 10:40 CRJ200 13:20 CRJ200 14:50 CRJ550 17:25 CRJ200 19:28 CRJ200 Those flights with CRJ550 equipment, offering 50 seats and three-class service, are operated by GoJet Airlines. Those with CRJ200 equipment, offering 50 seats and single-class service, are operated by SkyWest Airlines.  But the frequency buildup is only temporary, as on May 21-22, service is cut back to five daily roundtrips, but with deployment of 76-seat Embraer 175 equipment on at least two, perhaps three roundtrips. I would include a schedule for th...

United Express announced today that it will be linking both Champaign-Urbana and Bloomington-Normal with four daily roundtrips to Chicago-O'Hare starting April 30 and May 7, respectively. Champaign-Urbana media has been quick to post online stories. Look for an update later today. UPDATE: Central Illinois Regional Airport last had United Express service to Chicago-O'Hare in 2008. FM Radio 89.1 WGLT has a story here . Champaign-Urbana's local CBS affiliate, WCIA TV-3 has a story here . The expansion is part of an escalating war between American Airlines and United Airlines at Chicago-O'Hare International Airport over gates and dominance. Whether this big increase in capacity for Central Illinois air travelers is sustainable is a big question. Fares will come down and traffic will be stimulated at both airports, but how long it lasts depends on whether these services are profitable, or at least losses are minimal but the flights provide profitable feed to long haul domes...

As expected, Peoria International Airport set a new annual passenger record in 2025. At a news conference inside the passenger terminal this morning , Metropolitan Airport Authority director Gene Olson announced that 812,376 passenger were handled during the past year. The previous record was 689,416 passengers, which was set in 2019. The airport nearly broke its 2019 record with 687,601 passengers in 2024.  The actual record was broken the first eleven months of 2025 when 741,724 passengers had used the airport. This was the first time PIA had exceeded 700,000 passengers in a year. With December traffic at 70,672 - the highest ever for that month - the 800,000 mark was exceeded as well.  PIA benefitted from stable or declining fuel prices, airlines engaging in fierce competition for market share and sufficient pilots to handle the resulting growth. Allegiant Air's low-fare nonstops as well as increased capacity by American Eagle and United Express has attracted travelers not ...

Peoria International Airport handled 741,724 passengers through November of this year, breaking the 2019 all-time record of 689,416 with one month still to go.   An article posted online today by WEEK TV-25 notes that PIA has broken passenger records for 14 of the last 16 months.  This post will be expanded and updated later this evening.  UPDATE In November 2025, PIA handled 62,474 passengers, which was the 14th record for the past 16 months. December's tally need only be 58,276 to reach the 800,000 mark for the first time. So this year, not only did it break 700,000 for the first time, there is the possibilty that it will also break 800,000!  If it does not reach 800,000 for the full year, it will be very close, and this means that passenger traffic will be up some 14 percent over 2024.  Passenger traffic will continue to grow in 2026, but not at the pace seen in 2025. Why? Because PIA's 2025 gains aren't likely to be matched in 2025. United Express increased...

I shot these scenes from shortly after 4:00pm to shortly after 5:00pm on Sunday afternoon. This is probably the busiest period of the day for the Peoria International Airport. United Express added a fifth daily Peoria to Chicago-O'Hare roundtrip on August 20 and re-arranged its schedule. Allegiant Air has reduced weekly departures from 28 to 18 this month due to seasonal demand, but should ramp up schedules late this year.  CAPTION: Six airliner operations at the Peoria Int'l Airport late-afternoon Sunday, August 24, 2025. All arrivals and departures used Runway 31. American Eagle Flight 5397 from Charlotte (CRJ900) United Express Flight 4411 to Chicago-O'Hare (CRJ550) United Express Flight 5874 from Chicago-O'Hare (CRJ200) Allegiant Air Flight 1097 to St. Petersburg FL (Airbus A-319) American Eagle Flight 5494 to Dallas/Ft. Worth (CRJ900) American Eagle Flight 5187 to Charlotte (CRJ900) - David P. Jordan 

The year 2002 marked PIA's return to the top as Central Illinois' busiest passenger air facility. As soon as 2003 dawned, however, threats of service cuts increased as the airline industry reeled from a shaky economy, financial losses, terror threats and new regulations. The year offered a lot of drama, so I'll analyze each carrier's service and end with a bright spot which continues to the present day. AMERICAN CONNECTION (Trans States Airlines) Having been relegated to secondary status (i. e., not part of the American Eagle network), former TW Express carrier Trans States Airlines was limited to providing "American Connection" feeder service to American Airlines' St. Louis hub.  American Airlines' rationale for acquiring TWA was in part to gain a reliever hub to Chicago-O'Hare, which had a cap placed on flights during the tumultuous summer of 2000. American's idea may have worked if not for 9-11 and the subsequent air travel slumps. Cutbacks ...

PIA is still on a role. WMBD Radio 1470 posted an article late this morning , detailing the great success Peoria International Airport has had in recent months. It handled 72,774 passengers in May 2025 and 78,892 in June. The latter is 20 percent higher than the same month in 2024! All airlines have added capacity - Allegiant Air by 10 percent, American Eagle by 20 and United Express by 67. Additional capacity and new service (Denver) reflects surging demand. Pricing is likely more reasonable, i. e. the airlines are not discouraging passengers from using small airports like PIA.  Director of Airports, Gene Olson, said the facility is attracting passengers from outside the Peoria region. I would interpret that as Bloomington-Normal, Champaign-Urbana, Decatur and Springfield metro areas. As scheduled commercial airline service at those cities is quite limited these days, Peoria is benefitting from travelers who will drive some distance, but avoid Chicago or St. Louis if they can....

Videocapture shows a United Express CRJ200 on final approach to PIA on July 22, 2023 United Airlines' United Express regional partners will be offering five daily roundtrips between Peoria and Chicago-O'Hare on August 20! At present, four roundtrips are operated daily by SkyWest Airlines using 50-seat CRJ200 equipment. A fifth departure begans the evening of August 19 with a full schedule the next day. Three of the roundtrips, will be operated by CRJ550 equipment, which is a CRJ700 modified with a premium cabin configuration, but with 50 seats.  Two of the CRJ550 cycles will be operated by GoJet Airlines, the other by SkyWest Airlines. And it gets more interesting. The schedule prior to the expansion in frequency calls for the following -  Dep. 6:15am to Chicago-O'Hare CRJ200 Arr. 10:19am from Chicago-O'Hare CRJ200 Dep. 11:00am to Chicago-O'Hare CRJ200 Arr. 3:03pm from Chicago-O'Hare CRJ200 Dep. 1539pm to Chicago-O'Hare CRJ200 Arr. 4:43pm from Chicago-O'...

It is time for my annual update on local airline service.  A summer month is best for this update. I used July for 2024's update, and I have every reason to do so again this year. Barring last minute changes, the schedules and route map below are accurate. So let us delve into the present situation.  ALLEGIANT AIR Like last year, schedules for July 2025 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 now only used on some Las Vegas and Punta Gorda flights. Brand new Boeing 737 Max 8-200 aircraft began appearing on St. Petersburg/Clearwater nonstops as early as February 2025 and are now also used on Orlando-Sanford nonstops. These aircraft are equipped with 190 seats.  Seasonal nonstops to Destin/Fort Walton Beach and year-round nonstops to Phoenix-Mesa and Punta Gorda have gained one weekly roundtrip each as compared to last year. So there are now...

The Peoria Int'l Airport handled 71,988 passengers in March 2025. That's 5 percent higher than the previous record - 68,447 in July 2019. WMBD TV-31 posted a story earlier this afternoon . Unlike most airports in downstate Illinois, Peoria airport officials provide passenger traffic data to the media. Usually, this is limited to records, but sometimes they report figures regardless. United Express' new service to Denver, which began March 30, is getting great loads, according to Gene Olson, Director of Airports. So I predict April will see excellent passenger figures whether a record or not. The article says passenger traffic has exceeded pre-COVID numbers since June 2024. Monthly records were broken in August, September, November and December. In January, another record was set, and February figures were short 500 of the record due to weather-related flight cancellations (perhaps Leap Year's extra day in 2024 was also a factor?). - David P. Jordan

I checked United Airlines website this evening and noticed United Express (SkyWest Airlines) has increased service between Peoria and Chicago-O'Hare from three to four daily roundtrips. I assume this expansion was recent, perhaps this weekend.  I had feared the Denver service would mean reduction in Chicago-O'Hare service, but it seems the carrier has significantly increased capacity here.  Effective by Friday, American Eagle will be offering two daily roundtrips to Charlotte, three each to Chicago-O'Hare and Dallas/Ft. Worth, for a total of eight. United Express offers four daily roundtrips to Chicago-O'Hare and one to Denver, for a total of five. So the two regionals affiliated with "legacy" carriers now offer 13 daily roundtrips to four major hubs.  Allegiant Air offers anywhere from two to five turnarounds depending on the day of the week, linking Peoria with Las Vegas, Orlando-Sanford, Phoenix-Mesa, St. Petersburg/Clearwater and Punta Gorda year-round, De...

Daily, nonstop service between Peoria and Denver has returned! At 0918 hours, SkyWest Airlines dba United Express Flight No. 5430 departed for the Rocky Mountain metropolis on Runway 22.  In September 2023, Peoria International Airport was awarded Small Community Air Service Development (SCASD) funds to entice an airline to link that facility with a western hub. Denver (United), Houston (United), Phoenix (American) and Salt Lake City (Delta) were among considerations, but Denver always stood out as the most likely suitor, given Peoria's historical air service links to that city. HISTORY Ozark Air Lines obtained Peoria-Denver route authority in 1966. A stop at Sioux City, Iowa was required in each direction. Although the airline added Sioux City-Denver later that year, Peoria service would wait nearly a decade. Ozark even asked for nonstop route authority in 1971. Finally, on April 1, 1975 a single-daily roundtrip between Peoria, Sioux City and Denver began. On Seprember 1 of that y...

The local media and airport authority are touting the inaugural departure of United Express' service to Denver tomorrow morning, Sunday, March 30, 2025. But the inaugural arrival was this evening. SkyWest Airlines dba United Express Flight 4755 touched down on Runway 13 at 2032 hours.   Too dark for video or pics, but I did record a couple of highlights at and near the airport. - David

I was wrong, but not by much. The Peoria Journal Star posted an article this afternoon revealing not only a record passenger tally for December 2024, but a near record for the entire year! I probably made fun of them sufficiently that they finally realized Peoria has an airport with scheduled commercial airline service, and that it is vital a local newspaper of record needs to report happenings on a consistent basis if it wants to be credible.  Last year, Peoria International Airport nearly broke its all-time passenger record. In 2019, it handled 689,416 passengers. In 2024, it handled 687,601, a difference of just 0.23 percent.  One record did fall. In December, PIA handled 66,150 passengers, more than any previous total for that month. In fact, this is nearly 10,000 more than the previous December record, which was in 2019.  United Express' new daily Denver nonstops begin March 30, 2025. Barring unforeseen calamity, this new service should help PIA break its 2019 reco...