MOLINE, Ill. — Editors Note: The attached video is from a previous story.
As coronavirus restrictions rollback and people begin traveling again, the Quad Cities International Airport says there's been no shortage of people taking to the skies.
The QC Airport saw a record number of passengers during the month of May, nearly 43,000 people. The airport says that's the highest number they've seen since February 2020, and nearly double the amount since the start of 2021.
“We’ve been saying for months that we believe there is pent-up travel demand and we’re seeing that come to fruition in yet another strong month of recovery,” said Benjamin Leischner, A.A.E, executive director.
In May, Delta Airlines ended its blocked middle seat policy. The airport says this created a noticeable difference in travel numbers. Shortly after, the airport restarted it's service to Minneapolis-St. Paul through Delta. The service had been suspended in April of 2020 because of the sharp decline in the travel.
“With June marking the return of twice daily service to Minneapolis-St. Paul, we expect Delta will have another strong month," said Leischner.
Right now, service to Detroit through Delta has not been restored to the QC Airport. But if the flights to Minneapolis-St. Paul receive interest, bids for restored service could be encouraged.