23 airlines divert planes to RFD

By Thomas V. Bona

BusinessRockford.com

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ROCKFORD — Aer Lingus will start sending airplanes to Chicago Rockford International Airport when bad weather strikes.

So will Virgin Atlantic Airways, Nippon Cargo Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines.

Starting next year, even Air France will land there.

None of those airlines have regularly scheduled service to Rockford, but they’re becoming increasingly familiar with the facilities. That’s because they’re among the 23 airlines that divert planes to Rockford when rain, snow and other problems tangle up Chicago and Milwaukee airports.

About 100 planes are diverted here a year, bringing in on average nearly $20,000 in revenue.

But the bigger boon is the marketing effect. The airport’s ability to handle any plane in all kinds of weather has brought airline officials — who wouldn’t otherwise know where it is — to Rockford.

“They had no idea the capabilities that we had. ... There’s no better way to showcase them then to have them drop in here,” said Dave Lindberg, Rockford’s operations and facilities supervisor. “There’s nothing better than an airline that doesn’t serve an airport to go back and say, ‘We went into Rockford and we got treated like kings and the facilities are fantastic.’ ”

Rockford benefits from having a separate air-traffic control tower from Chicago and Milwaukee.  When those airports are tied up, Rockford can operate freely. Also, Rockford is only busy late at night, when UPS is most active, so it has plenty of room to park airplanes.

While Rockford long has been the diversion airport of choice for United Airlines and some others, Lindberg has lobbied more airlines in the past couple of years.

In 2009 alone, the airport went from getting diversions from 11 airlines to being the choice for 23.

For example, Irish carrier Aer Lingus recently agreed to make Rockford its primary diversion airport for its flights to Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

Dave McGrath, the airline’s station manager at O’Hare, called Rockford “a world-class operation.”

“The facilities there are exactly what an international carrier needs,” McGrath said. “There are good runways there, there’s great equipment there. ... There’s plenty of concrete to park an airplane on to just refuel and come back to O’Hare.”

McGrath loved Rockford so much, in fact, he told airline higher-ups they should consider starting regular service here. However, since the airline relies on O’Hare’s domestic connections, McGrath said it isn’t likely.

United Airlines has used Rockford for years, even though it abandoned its regular service in 2008. It’s the most frequent airline to divert here, since it has a hub at O’Hare, and lands airplanes as large as Boeing 747s from as far away as China and Japan.

“Proximity is a main component of why we use Rockford as a diversion airport,” said United spokeswoman Sarah Massier.

Rockford businesses also benefit from the diversions. Emery Air provides fueling and other services for diverted aircraft, while North American Pride also gets some of that business.

Sometimes, when airplanes have to unload passengers during long delays, airport officials have ordered pizza or opened up the Airport Cafe to feed them. They’re trying to set up deals where Chiles Catering Co. could provide food for diverted passengers.

“We kind of handle diverted flights like we do our own passenger flights,” Lindberg said. “Most airports give them room to park, and they don’t worry about them.”

Diversion traffic has been down this year, mirroring global trends in reduced flights. But with more airlines looking to Rockford, officials expect to see those numbers rebound.

Increasingly, cargo airlines are diverting to the airport, and they can often use the newly completed ramp next to UPS that was built to draw cargo traffic. It’s free advertising, Lindberg said.

Although actually, the airport is paid for the opportunity.

Staff writer Thomas V. Bona may be contacted at 815-987-1343 or tbona@rrstar.com.

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