MOLINE, Ill. (KWQC) – The holiday crowd is coming to the Quad Cities International Airport, but it’s not like years past.
“Looking forward to December, we are seeing about a 6% decrease in comparison to last year,” said Ben Leischner, executive director of the Quad Cities International Airport. “Generally speaking, the load factor has been higher. Flights have been fuller, but there are just fewer flights.”
According to Leischner, the decrease in holiday travelers follows a recent trend, as there has been a drop off in travelers at the airport in the second half of 2022.
“What we are starting to see as an industry, as this year has progressed, we are starting to see more of an impact from the pilot shortage and equipment restraints with regional aircrafts,” Leischner said. “For the Quad Cities, a lot of those market restraints look like… [an increase] in aircraft size, but maybe a decrease in frequency.”
For those who do decide to fly this holiday season, Ashleigh Davis. Quad Cities International Airport’s public relations and marketing manager, said there is a simple way to reduce your time in TSA security if traveling with a gift.
“Leave your gifts unwrapped or in gift bags. That way when you go through the security screening checkpoint, if they notice anything unusual, you don’t have to unwrap that nice package you spent so much time putting together,” Davis said. “Whether it’s the weather around the Midwest or just the logistics of getting all of your bags unpacked and arriving at the airport, make sure you’re not cutting your time too close.”
Another travel tip Davis had was to download your airline flight app, in order to see if your flight is canceled or if the flight time has changed.
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