Things have slowed down for an industry on the go.

• Position: Transportation

It's not that Jerry Orr is a pessimist. But the past year at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, where he is aviation director, didn't give him much to smile about. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the number of people getting on planes at the airport has fallen, the number of daily flights has dropped from 532 to 510, new security rules have further choked activity, and US Airways has filed Chapter 11.

Through October, about 2% fewer people had boarded planes flown by the airport's major carriers compared with the same period the year before. That's terrible news for US Airways, which was struggling before Sept. 11. In August, the Alexandria, Va.-based airline, which transports 93% of the airport's passengers, sought bankruptcy protection.

The airport's future remains intertwined with the airline, which has laid off 36% of its work force but still employs about 7,000 in Charlotte. "We wonder if they'll make it through this, and if not, who will?" Orr says. "If you'd asked me the question three or four years ago, what if something would happen to US Airways, I'd say this is a highly effective airfield, and we think it would leave such a hole in the marketplace, some other airline would fill that hub. Today, you'd have to say, there may be another airline that wants to do it, but could they do it?"

Charlotte/Douglas wasn't alone in its troubles. Through October, about 14% fewer passengers had boarded planes in 2002 at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. RDU lost a carrier, Midway Airlines, which ceased flights in July. Trying to emerge from Chapter 11 itself, Midway resumed operations Jan. 1 as a regional commuter airline affiliated with US Airways.

At Piedmont Triad International Airport, 6% fewer passengers boarded planes through October. On the last day of 2001, the airport got the news it had been waiting to hear: The Federal Aviation Administration had approved its third runway, which will serve the $350 million FedEx Express cargo hub. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2004, and the hub is expected to open in 2007.

On the water, the picture was no brighter. Tonnage was down at state ports in Morehead City and Wilmington. Business decreased 27% in the fiscal year that ended June 30. But later this year, a project to deepen the Wilmington port's channel to 42 feet should be completed, opening it to...