The people who run Lambert Field, the main airport in St. Louis, have a bond sale set for Monday. Nothing earth-shattering about this deal but its timing: it comes just as American Airlines says it will again slash its service at Lambert for the second time in less than a year. This cut, which starts to take effect in August, trims its total daily departures from 101 to 83, including all non-stop service to Las Vegas, Philadelphia and San Diego.The totals may not seem drastic until you consider that back in 2001, when American bought St. Louis-based TWA, the carrier had about 415 daily flights at Lambert; within two years, that total had been cut to 207 daily flights, a total that has shrunk steadily ever since. Fitch Ratings airport bond analysts had already moved to downgrade the existing bonds issued by Lambert for renewal and enlargement because any replacement of the lost airline service "is uncertain in the near term."
(Photo: C. Williamson, Flickr)
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