MOLINE, Illinois — The Quad City International Airport is bouncing back, as it sees another month of increased travel since April.
There were 22,088 total passengers this July. In June, the airport saw more than 14,390 travelers. Last July, there were 64,311 total passengers.
The travel industry is still feeling the impact of the pandemic, as domestic air travel is down about 70% nationwide. But, the Quad City Airport is trending higher in its recovery efforts by about four percent compared to other airports.
Traveling through the airport looks much different lately, after plastic barriers, required face masks, and more sanitizing stations were implemented earlier this year.
Quad City Airport Public Relations and Marketing Manager Ashleigh Johnston says people seem to be getting more comfortable with flying, and that could be due to their airport's location and size.
"We are an airport that's close to home and very easy to drive to," she says. "(Since we're a) smaller airport, your time here doesn't have to be quite as long as when you're at a larger hub so there's less interaction with people and fewer contact."
Johnston says that September is typically one of the airport's slowest months so they're expecting to see a dip in travelers then.
Some airlines are still operating with reduced schedules. Flights to Minneapolis, Denver and Detroit are currently on hold, but the airport expects those routes to return as traffic continues to increase.