More airline cutbacks downstate

Add comment December 19th, 2007

Looks like Peoria is temporarily losing some Delta flights to Atlanta because of high fuel prices.

This comes not long after Allegiant Air said it was pulling Las Vegas service from several Illinois markets for the same reason.

The bright side for Peoria is it was spared the Allegiant cuts and still faces a record year for passenger service. Rockford also was spared Allegiant’s cutbacks.

RFD Executive Director Bob O’Brien keeps saying that the airport’s growth in spite of the sluggish industry says good things about what they’re doing. At the same time, you have to wonder if and when fuel prices will ever slow down RFD’s growth too.

The interviewer gets interviewed

Add comment December 19th, 2007

I just did a five-question interview over at Bill Randell’s Worcester, Mass., airport blog. Bill’s a passionate advocate for ORH, an airport not unlike what Chicago Rockford International Airport was a few years ago: No regular passenger service, stuck in the shadow of a large metro airport and seemingly spinning its wheels.

Bill’s a big fan of RFD, and thinks it can be a model for ORH. He’s always reading and posting my articles, and it’s always an honor to have readers far away. He also interview RFD Executive Director Bob O’Brien back in March.