AIR PASSENGERS HIT RECORD

The Cape Girardeau Regional Airport enjoyed a banner 1998 with a record number of passenger boardings.

The airport recorded 11,745 passenger boardings, topping the all-time high of 11,014 achieved in 1987.

It also marks the first time since 1990 the airport topped the 10,000 boarding mark.

Surpassing that number makes the airport eligible for additional funding under the Federal Airport Improvement Program.

Airport manager Bruce Loy said any airport with at least 10,000 annual passenger boardings is guaranteed a minimum monetary entitlement for capital improvement projects.

The amount depends on Congress' annual appropriation for the program, but for fiscal year 1998 the entitlement was $500,000.

While the airport has been eligible for state funds, that money isn't guaranteed. More than 100 airports compete for that money.

The airport's 1998 boarding figures are unofficial at this point. The Federal Aviation Administration will announce official boarding counts in August.

Total boardings were up 32.9 percent from 1997, which saw 8,841 passengers getting on planes at the airport.

Since setting the previous record in 1987, boardings steadily dropped, bottoming out at 6,313 in 1996.

Loy attributed the recent growth to increased round trip flights offered at the airport and recent marketing efforts.

In October 1997, increased federal subsidies allowed the airport's sole commercial carrier, Trans World Express, to add an additional daily round-trip flight to St. Louis.

Of the 11,745 boardings this year, a majority of passengers, 6,117, were boarded by TWE, which provides three daily flights to St. Louis.

Most of the other passengers were boarded by the charter services delivering Procter & Gamble employees between Cape Girardeau and Cincinnati, the company's headquarters.

Other charter services, including Air Evac Aviation, boarded the remaining 425 passengers.

TWE boardings increased 24.6 percent from last year's 4,908.

While monthly boardings totals by the airline were up substantially for most of the year, the figure dropped sharply in October and dipped slightly in November. However, TWE rebounded in December, edging out the 1997 figure for that month.

Loy said TWE is implementing a plan to improve service at the airport, a plan he said appears to be working.

"We've talked about this over and over again and service has improved," Loy said.

TWE officials could not be reached Friday for comment on their plans at the airport.

Problems with the airline have been cyclical, Loy said. At times the airline has suffered from rashes of non-weather-related cancellations.

Loy said the cancellations often resulted because the airline had an insufficient number of mechanics. He stressed that safety at no time suffered.

"When you're low on mechanics, you just can't keep planes on the flight line," he said.

The airport is seeking another carrier, but not because of TWE's record, Loy said.

"We are always looking for another airline," Loy said. "That has nothing to do with whether TWE is doing poorly or if they are doing great."

Loy said the airport would like a carrier to provide service to connecting flights in Memphis, Tenn., as well as direct flights to Cincinnati to better serve Procter & Gamble employees and their families.

Another airline providing flights to St. Louis isn't needed to meet demand, he said.

"We are not really looking for an airline to compete with TWE," Loy said. "That would be rather silly."