Airport numbers reflect economy, flight cutbacks

2008 at O'Hare International Airport was so 1997.

Data released by the Federal Aviation Administration Wednesday showed flight operations dropping at O'Hare and plummeting at Midway National Airport compared to 2007.

In terms of the nation's busiest airport status, O'Hare continued to hold the No. 2 spot behind Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Coming in at third is Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Arrivals and departures at Midway totaled 266,341 in 2008 compared to 304,657 in 2007, a 12.6 percent reduction. Midway hit similar numbers in 1997 with 265,572 operations, in 2001 with 276,520 and in 1998 with 278,517, according to the FAA.

The difference reflects ATA and Continental Airlines ceasing service at Midway last year, Chicago Department of Aviation Media Relations Director Karen Pride said.

Operations at O'Hare fell from 926,973 in 2007 to 881,566 last year, a decrease of 5 percent.

Both airports are experiencing a decline in operations because airlines are reducing capacity, Pride said, calling the impact to O'Hare minimal.

Both of O'Hare's major carriers, United and American, cut flights in 2008 to save money amid skyrocketing fuel prices.

Hartsfield Jackson saw operations go down 1.4 percent with 991,627 flights in 2007 compared to 978,084 last year.

DePaul University aviation expert Joseph Schwieterman called the 12.6 percent drop at Midway a "jarring number," but said the airport's main carrier, Southwest Airlines, was doing what it could to reduce losses.

As the aviation industry moves past a disastrous 2008 that included service reductions and canceled flights because of safety concerns, Schwieterman predicted "we won't see a full rebound this year. We'll likely see more cuts - the economy's the main problem now, not fuel."