Cedar Rapids airport breaks March passenger record

CEDAR RAPIDS -- The Eastern Iowa Airport handled 124,496 passengers in March, a record for the spring break month.

The total was 2.3 percent higher than the previous March record set in 2019, before the pandemic sharply reduced air travel. It also was 7 percent higher than the travel recorded in March 2022.

Airport Director Marty Lenss said spring break travel always rivals the travel numbers at Thanksgiving.

The airport -- CID -- has nonstop flights to 17 destinations and service from five airlines, including two low-cost carriers, Allegiant and Frontier, Lenss said.

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In addition, he said, the carriers at Iowa’s second largest airport are using larger, mainline aircraft, resulting in 17 percent more seats available this April in Cedar Rapids than in April last year.

“Most important, Eastern Iowa is filling the aircraft in our market,” he said. “The airport success is a direct reflection of the region’s support of CID, so thank you.”

One of the new nonstop flights that will be offered by American Airlines is nonstop service to Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C. It starts June 1, and tickets can be booked.

“The addition of the Washington, D.C., flight is a game-changer for CID and for Eastern Iowa,” Lenss says. “For Iowa to have two gateway airports that have this premium service speaks volumes about the state’s economy.”

For more information, go to FlyCID.com