Rockford

From the Rockford Star, from blog favorite Tom Bona:

Mirroring a national seasonal slowdown in air traffic, Chicago/Rockford International Airport had its slowest month of the year in September.But bucking the national trend, airport traffic was again up over last year.In September, 11,750 passengers flew in and out of Rockford, a 6 percent increase over last September.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, September is historically the third-lowest month for domestic airlines.“Nationwide, Aug. 15 though about Nov. 15 is the roughest period in the year for the industry as a whole. September is worst, everybody heads back to school,” said Executive Director Bob O’Brien. “This is our weakest month, but not all months are created equal. It was expected for us.

”Allegiant Air, Rockford’s largest carrier, cut its service to six flights a week in September. The airline did this at several of its markets because of the seasonal slowdown.But Allegiant’s schedule shows a big upswing for Rockford in the coming months. While only seven flights a week are scheduled for October, 13 a week are scheduled for November and 15 in December.

Preliminarily, the airline is planning 19 a week during March — the most it has ever had at Rockford.That includes two flights a week to Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz., starting in November and two a week to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., starting in December. O’Brien hopes to see those routes add flights next year after early success.