By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO – The number of people boarding planes at Lambert Airport has dropped to a 22-year low.
It went from being the 19th-busiest airport in 2003 to the 32nd busiest last year.
The downturn in traffic comes after American Airline's November 2002 decision to cut the number of flights from St. Louis.
The number of passengers has been heading downward, though, for several years. In 2000, 15.3 million people boarded Lambert flights. Last year, just 6.8 million did. That number is the lowest since 1982.
Airport officials shrug off the drop; Lambert lobbyist James Brown says he's optimistic other carriers will begin to look at St. Louis.