Rockford Keeps Going

Keep in mind Rockford had no commercial passengers after 9/11 and is within one hour to a major airport (Chicago), but is thriving just like Stewart below. From the Rockford Register, last month (February) 18,663 passengers. Here is part of the story:

February airport’s busiest month since June ’05
by Thomas Bona

Staff writer Thomas V. Bona may be contacted at 815-987-1343 or tbona@rrstar.com

“You’ll be hard-pressed to find too many airports in the country who are showing 70 percent increases in year-over-year activity,” Executive Director Bob O’Brien said. “We’re certainly pleased with where we’re at. If we have any frustrations, it’s that we want to be going faster.”

The top destinations they’re targeting are Mesa, Ariz., and Fort Myers, Fla., said Mike Dunn, chairman of the Greater Rockford Airport Authority board of directors. Officials are also talking to Allegiant Air about links to the Seattle area and southern Texas and to United Airlines about flying to Washington, D.C., but those are likely further off.

In marketing the airport, officials note that planes flying in and out of here are 83 percent full, higher than the industry average.

The most popular routes in February again were Allegiant’s to Orlando and Las Vegas, both of which topped their January numbers. Apple Vacations’ route to Cancun was slightly up, while the Allegiant route to Tampa Bay and United’s route to Denver were about even with January.

“We have a new opportunity every day to demonstrate the strengths of RFD to United, to Allegiant, to Apple and to the entire industry,” O’Brien said.