MidAmerica Airport (BLV)

jshank83 · PostJun 13, 2025#4512025-06-13T15:06+00:00

Big month for Mid-America

Passengers up 50.36% over March 2024
Up 34.87% Year to Date

Loads
Punta Gorda FL (PGD) 87.45%
Las Vegas NV (LAS) 84.94%
Destin FL (VPS) 81.41%
Fort Lauderdale FL (FLL) 79.91%
St Petersburg/Tampa FL (PIE) 78.64%
Orlando/Sanford FL (SFB) 77.95%
Jacksonville FL (JAX) 77.76%
Sarasota FL (SRQ) 74.38%

addxb2 · PostJun 13, 2025#4522025-06-13T21:56+00:00

I would take Mid-America seriously if they could just get one additional airline. Not sustainable being reliant on one airline.

chris fuller · PostJun 13, 2025#4532025-06-13T22:28+00:00

I would take Mid-America seriously
And when I can take metro link right to the terminal
This summer? Next yr? This decade?

Auggie · PostJun 13, 2025#4542025-06-13T22:47+00:00

chris fuller wrote: ↑
Jun 13, 2025
I would take Mid-America seriously
And when I can take metro link right to the terminal
This summer? Next yr? This decade?

Next year

Suburban Sprawl · PostJun 14, 2025#4552025-06-14T12:58+00:00

addxb2 wrote: ↑
Jun 13, 2025
I would take Mid-America seriously if they could just get one additional airline. Not sustainable being reliant on one airline.

Akron/Canton is the bar for for Mid-America as far as mid-market secondary airports. They also have a Breeze base and mainline service from American and United in addition to Allegiant. I would rather the region just had one strong central airport but with the mess at Southwest and the upcoming rail link, there is scope for growth, and quite honestly anything that is going to be an asset and help build up Metro East is not a bad thing for the region in itself.

JaneJacobsGhost · PostJun 14, 2025#4562025-06-14T13:45+00:00

Mid America is probably also our best bet for growing bigger aircargo operations. There isn’t much elbow room around Lambert.

And given the massive investment by Boeing which wouldn’t have happened without MidAmerica this project has gone from boondoggle to good investment. It just took 10-15 years longer than expected. And you can probably blame 2008 for the delay

dweebe · PostJun 24, 2025#4572025-06-24T21:00+00:00

MidAmerica Airport has big plans for its future
With record-breaking traffic and construction on a new general aviation facility underway, MidAmerica Airport eyes international expansion.

https://www.stlmag.com/business/midamer ... ts-future/

The airport served a record 40,000 monthly passengers in March—a 47 percent spike in traffic from the same month in 2024—and is on pace for a record-breaking year as the summer unfolds and the airport leans further into the leisure travel market. The momentum could carry into 2026 and beyond.

Today the airport, which shares space with the adjacent Scott Air Force Base, offers year-round and seasonal nonstop flights to Destin/Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Ft. Myers/Punta Gorda, Florida; Jacksonville, Florida; Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida; Orlando/Sanford, Florida; Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida; Gulf Shores, Alabama; Knoxville, Tennessee; Las Vegas, Nevada; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Savannah, Georgia.

There is a demand for those destinations. Flights to Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport are the most popular, with 47,000 passengers traveling there from MidAmerica from April 2024 to March 2025. During that same period, 31,000 took outbound flights to Punta Gorda, and 23,000 flew to St. Petersburg.

For the year, James expects an airport-record 20 percent increase in traffic from 2024, when MidAmerica served more than 303,000 passengers—which was itself a 4 percent spike from 2023. Things are on track to put MidAmerica in position for its best year yet.
“That’s the expectation,” James says. “But what will play out through August will determine whether or not it will truly be a record year.

addxb2 · PostJul 07, 2025#4582025-07-07T04:30+00:00

Resharing if shared previously. Helpful map of Mid-America's land holdings and the potential cargo boom.
https://www.thefreightway.com/wp-conten ... ed-map.pdf

gary kreie · PostJul 08, 2025#4592025-07-08T17:12+00:00

What would be the most likely larger airline to add a flight or two here? Jet Blue? Frontier?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

pdm_ad · PostJul 08, 2025#4602025-07-08T17:33+00:00

Flew BLV-PGD-BLV for the holiday, airport was packed and each flight was completely full.

Back when they were flying the MD-80s, they were plagued with issues and I avoided flying them but it seems like that was resolved when they moved to the A319/320s.

jshank83 · PostJul 08, 2025#4612025-07-08T18:03+00:00

pdm_ad wrote: ↑
Jul 08, 2025
Flew BLV-PGD-BLV for the holiday, airport was packed and each flight was completely full.

Back when they were flying the MD-80s, they were plagued with issues and I avoided flying them but it seems like that was resolved when they moved to the A319/320s.

I’m pretty sure they have one of the lowest cancel rates now.

PostJul 08, 2025#4622025-07-08T18:04+00:00

gary kreie wrote: ↑
Jul 08, 2025
What would be the most likely larger airline to add a flight or two here? Jet Blue? Frontier?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Only other domestic I could see add is Breeze or maybe Avelo. I can’t see any that are at lambert going to BLV.

Bart Harley Jarvis · PostJul 08, 2025#4632025-07-08T18:11+00:00

jshank83 wrote: ↑
Jul 08, 2025
gary kreie wrote: ↑
Jul 08, 2025
What would be the most likely larger airline to add a flight or two here? Jet Blue? Frontier?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Only other domestic I could see add is Breeze or maybe Avelo. I can’t see any that are at lambert going to BLV.

Avelo is too busy doing ICE's deportations to expand

jshank83 · PostJul 16, 2025#4642025-07-16T03:28+00:00

Bart Harley Jarvis wrote: ↑
Jul 08, 2025
jshank83 wrote: ↑
Jul 08, 2025
gary kreie wrote: ↑
Jul 08, 2025
What would be the most likely larger airline to add a flight or two here? Jet Blue? Frontier?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Only other domestic I could see add is Breeze or maybe Avelo. I can’t see any that are at lambert going to BLV.
Avelo is too busy doing ICE's deportations to expand

Well they just cut their entire west coast flying, except Mesa because they need that for deportations.

PostJul 16, 2025#4652025-07-16T03:29+00:00

Another strong month for @BLVairport in April
Up 15% over April 2024
Up 29.4% YTD

Loads
St Pete 88.68%
Punta Gorda 87.36%
Destin 86.06%
Orlando/Sanford 85.90%
Vegas 85.78%
Sarasota 77.88%
Fort Lauderdale 70.49%
Jacksonville 65.89%

PostAug 14, 2025#4662025-08-14T22:00+00:00

Allegiant extended their schedule. Destin and Punta Gorda will both be daily with a 2nd flight on Saturday’s in March. Will be the first time BLV-Punta Gorda has a day with more than one flight.

bwcrow1s · PostAug 15, 2025#4672025-08-15T13:56+00:00

jshank83 wrote: ↑
Aug 14, 2025
Allegiant extended their schedule. Destin and Punta Gorda will both be daily with a 2nd flight on Saturday’s in March. Will be the first time BLV-Punta Gorda has a day with more than one flight.

Any word on them bringing back Knoxville?

jshank83 · PostAug 15, 2025#4682025-08-15T19:01+00:00

bwcrow1s wrote: ↑
Aug 15, 2025
jshank83 wrote: ↑
Aug 14, 2025
Allegiant extended their schedule. Destin and Punta Gorda will both be daily with a 2nd flight on Saturday’s in March. Will be the first time BLV-Punta Gorda has a day with more than one flight.
Any word on them bringing back Knoxville?

It only ran summer this year. I’d guess if it’s back it will only be summer again next year. The schedule isn’t that far out yet

bwcrow1s · PostAug 16, 2025#4692025-08-16T19:03+00:00

jshank83 wrote: ↑
Aug 15, 2025
bwcrow1s wrote: ↑
Aug 15, 2025
jshank83 wrote: ↑
Aug 14, 2025
Allegiant extended their schedule. Destin and Punta Gorda will both be daily with a 2nd flight on Saturday’s in March. Will be the first time BLV-Punta Gorda has a day with more than one flight.
Any word on them bringing back Knoxville?
It only ran summer this year. I’d guess if it’s back it will only be summer again next year. The schedule isn’t that far out yet

Bummer. It was a good nonstop vs the 10 hour drive, or only saving a couple hours by taking connecting flights. Thanks for the update.

jshank83 · PostAug 17, 2025#4702025-08-17T01:54+00:00

bwcrow1s wrote: ↑
Aug 16, 2025
jshank83 wrote: ↑
Aug 15, 2025
bwcrow1s wrote: ↑
Aug 15, 2025
Any word on them bringing back Knoxville?
It only ran summer this year. I’d guess if it’s back it will only be summer again next year. The schedule isn’t that far out yet
Bummer. It was a good nonstop vs the 10 hour drive, or only saving a couple hours by taking connecting flights. Thanks for the update.

The loads on it last year were really poor. I was a bit surprised it was back for summer this year. We'll have to see how it did this summer.

Southwest has announced they are starting Knoxville, not from here but it starts in March. Would have to connect through Nashville most likely but also has flights to Baltimore, Dallas, Orlando.

PostAug 17, 2025#4712025-08-17T02:12+00:00

May was another big month for BLV

Passengers were up 29.88% over May 2024. Up 29.51% YTD vs 2024

Loads- routes on first month will usually have a pretty empty first inbound flight so I listed the outbound loads for those.

St Petersburg/Tampa FL (PIE)	89.34%
Orlando/Sanford FL (SFB)	84.71%
Las Vegas NV (LAS)	83.40%
Punta Gorda FL (PGD)	82.59%
Sarasota FL (SRQ)	80.15%
Destin FL (VPS)	77.59%
Gulf Shores AL (GUF)	74.91% - first month outbound 86.48%
Fort Lauderdale FL (FLL)	71.15%
Savannah GA (SAV)	69.44%- first month outbound 81%
Jacksonville FL (JAX)	69.13%
Myrtle Beach SC (MYR)	62.78%- first month outbound 75%
Knoxville TN (TYS)	38.33%- first month outbound 42%

matguy70 · PostSep 06, 2025#4722025-09-06T05:57+00:00

https://www.illinoispolicy.org/southwes ... p-it-open/

PeterXCV · PostSep 06, 2025#4732025-09-06T13:26+00:00

It's hard to tell what's true from such an obviously ideologically driven publication. I'm not sure Midamerica's a good investment either but it's hard to take seriously a report where stats like this are written: "The funds taken from other county operations hit $14.83 million, up from $10.85 million in 2023 – a 73% hike in just a year"

The simplest calculator could discern that does not equal a 73% increase.

Auggie · PostSep 06, 2025#4742025-09-06T15:45+00:00

No consideration of job creation either.

Also, $7M/year ($160M across 23 years) to have a national commercial airport in a region like the Metro East actually sounds really good lmao. I don't think that's the "burn" they think it is.

jshank83 · PostSep 08, 2025#4752025-09-08T04:41+00:00

That site does a hit piece almost every year on it

I do wonder how they get around the rules like lambert has where it has to be self sustaining. But that piece leaves out a lot of background.

MidAmerica Airport (BLV)

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