Rockford -- 19.500 More Passengers in July then ORH

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - The Chicago/Rockford International Airport had more than 19,500 passengers last month -- the third-best performance since 2003. The only two months that were better were March 2005 and March 2007 -- prime spring break months.

In all, 19,656 passengers passed through the airport in July. That was a 19% increase over the same period last year. And July marked the second straight month in which planes were more than 90% full.

Airport officials hope the strong showing will persuade airlines to increase their offerings in Rockford. In particular, officials are looking to Allegiant Air. Rockford is among the cities the airline is considering for expanded service to Phoenix/Mesa, Arizona, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.