By DOUG WILSON
Herald-Whig Senior Writer

Cape Air flights between Quincy and St. Louis have been busy during the first two weeks of operation.

Quincy Regional Airport Manager Marty Stegeman said 81 passengers boarded outbound flights during the first week of operation and another 91 boarded during the second week.

"They tell me they'll have more than 200 boardings by the end of the month," Stegeman said.

Cape Air started offering local flights on Nov. 8, so Stegeman notes that ridership is even better than the monthly figures will show.

Great Lakes Airlines, which operated flights up to Nov. 7, had only 974 boardings in the past 10 months and one week of flights. It had 74 passengers during the entire month of October, which Cape Air surpassed in its first week of operation.

Michelle Haynes, a spokesman for Cape Air, said company officials are happy with the number of air travelers.

"We think we'll have even more passengers when people realize what a fast, efficient, convenient and affordable way this is to get to and from St. Louis," Haynes said.

Cape Air officials also said an airworthiness directive issued by the Federal Aviation Administration will not affect local flights.

The FAA has called for 500 series Continental engines to be inspected and valve lifters replaced. That type of engine is used in Cessna 402 aircraft such as those used by Cape Air.

However, the airline has "already done the adjustments that needed to be made before the directive came out," Haynes said.

Cape Air has the largest fleet of Cessna commuter aircraft in the United States, according to its Web site.

-- dwilson@whig.com/221-3372