Airline boardings on rise, could lead to financial dividends in future

Passenger boardings are trending higher at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, a move that one day could secure sizable federal funding for the city, airport manager Bruce Loy said.

Cape Girardeau's new commuter airline, which officially began providing round-trip service from Cape Girardeau to Chicago in December, has experienced higher boardings for the first three months of this year than its predecessor, Loy said Wednesday.

But boardings so far don't suggest the city will reach the 10,000 boardings level this calendar year, with less than 2,000 passengers expected to have flown out of Cape Girardeau over the four-month period concluding this month, airport records show.

When December numbers are included, total boardings on United Express stand at nearly 2,400.

Loy said he expects, with increased advertising, to see higher monthly boardings in the coming months. "July is one of our bigger months," he said. Boardings also typically are higher in October and November, Loy said.

The airport manager said he is optimistic the city eventually will reach 10,000 boardings.

Reaching that threshold would allow the airport to secure additional federal funding. Every year the airport meets that threshold, it would qualify for $1 million in federal funding, Loy said. "Obviously, we want to get bigger numbers."

That goal was a factor in choosing the new airline, city officials have said. Another factor was the airline provides service to Chicago O'Hare, one of the nation's major aviation hubs.

From January through March, 1,358 paying passengers boarded United Express flights at the Cape Girardeau airport, according to Loy. That was up slightly from the same period a year ago, when passenger service was provided by Cape Air, which transported passengers to and from St. Louis.

April is shaping up as a good month, Loy said, estimating that year-to-date boardings could total 1,958 by the end of this month. That would be up by more than 140 passengers over the first four months of last year, according to city records.

Utah-based SkyWest Airlines operates the United Express service to and from Cape Girardeau. Passengers fly on a 50-seat, twin-engine jet. That's the largest aircraft to provide regular passenger service to Cape Girardeau in about four decades, according to Loy.

The airline provides two round-trip flights weekdays to Chicago, as well as a more limited schedule on weekends. The daily schedule includes one nonstop flight to Chicago and one that includes a stop in Quincy, Illinois.

Loy said the afternoon direct flight appears more popular, with more boardings than has occurred with the morning flight that includes the Quincy stop.

But Loy said the stop in Quincy is short. The plane is on the ground in Quincy for about 30 minutes. "You don't even get off the plane," he said.

But the stop was essential in securing United Express flights under the Essential Air Service program, according to city officials.

The federal government subsidizes air passenger service to Cape Girardeau and other small airports.

Loy said January was a slow month, with only 347 boardings compared to 377 boardings in January 2017 on Cape Air. He said winter weather resulted in the cancellation of some flights, contributing to the decreased boardings.

The Chicago connection has proved popular with passengers, he said. "I am very happy with the reports we are getting back from people. They really brag about it," Loy said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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