Friday, June 27, 2008
Local Airports Navigating Economic Turbulence Tools
WEEK-TV Ch 25 (NBC), East Peoria (IL)
![Local Airports Navigating Economic Turbulence]()
An
American Airlines passenger jet prepares to land at Dallas-Fort Worth
International Airport in Grapevine, Texas, in this July 17, 2007 file photo.
Crude
oil prices hit a high of over $140 a barrel Friday.
As a result, Delta, United and Southwest airlines raised their prices by five
to 40–dollars.
Milwaukee–based Midwest Airlines
warned employees of layoffs and pay cuts ahead.
But, the director of Peoria's Airport is disputing a report that Central
Illinois Regional Airports are at the top of the list for cutbacks, mergers and
closures.
A report by the Business
Traveler's Coalition predicts small airports in cities like Peoria, Bloomington
or Springfield are ripe for failure—–because of the increasing cost
of oil.
Peoria Airport Director Ken Spirito says the airline industry is facing hard
times...but that Peoria's airport is doing better than most.
He credits a strong local economy for that...saying cuts locally have been
minimal.
One daily American Airlines flight to O'Hare will be cancelled in November, but
Spirito says that's the only cutback he's aware of.
And, at Bloomington's Central Illinois Regional Airport –director Carl
Olson is equally positive...saying summer bookings are strong, although
seasonal cutbacks make take place in the fall.
And, Olson says, no–one from the Business Traveler's Coalition ever
contacted him about how the airport was being affected by the increasing cost
of oil.
Click or paste the link to view
the video:
http://www.week.com/news/local/22214119.html?video=YHI&t=a
