A United Airlines flight to Chicago that left Erie Wednesday morning with no passengers aboard is symbolic of the continuing decline in air travel.
Air travel nationwide is down 96 percent from early March as the coronavirus pandemic prompts growing numbers of Americans to cancel travel plans.
Flights at Erie International Airport will be down to just 17 a week starting May 1 when United cuts back to three Erie flights weekly. Delta and American airlines recently reduced Erie service to just one flight each daily.
The three airlines previously flew 49 weekly flights to and from Erie.
“This morning’s Chicago flight pretty much says it all,” airport Executive Director Derek Martin said Wednesday. “There were two passengers booked, nobody showed up and the plane flew to Chicago empty.”
Erie Regional Airport Authority members on Wednesday voted to temporarily ease financial agreements with car rental, restaurant and parking vendors at the airport to help the businesses cope with their own decreased traffic and sales.
The company that handles parking at the airport is contractually obligated to pay the airport at least $38,000 monthly. But because of the decline in air travel, the vendor in one recent week took in just $41.10 in total revenues, Martin said.
“Obviously, the tenants that pay us rent are suffering, too,” Martin said.
Authority members who met face to face and by phone at the airport agreed to accept 10 percent of gross sales from parking and rental car vendors and to give airlines an additional 90 days to pay their bills while the coronavirus pandemic continues.
Authority members also voted to offer early-retirement incentives to employees to cut costs.
The far bigger relief for the airport will be $18.5 million in federal funding from the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act approved by Congress in March.
The funding will help the airport pay its bills and move forward with planned improvements, including driveway and parking lot upgrades and needed roof replacements, Martin said.
