Delta Air Lines (which had merged with Northwest Airlines) was the airport's only carrier for several years with flights to its hub at Minneapolis/Saint Paul, MN (MSP).

American sent representatives to Waterloo to present to the Chamber of Commerce and a straw poll of area businesses showed local companies favored service to Chicago over Minneapolis.

[2] American Eagle previously served Waterloo with ATR-42 and Saab 340 turboprop flights to Chicago during the 1990s.

[5] In 1966 Mid-Continent successor Braniff International flew BAC One-Elevens and Convair 440s to Kansas City, Minneapolis/St.

In the 1975 Official Airline Guide Ozark was the only airline at Waterloo, with nonstops from Cedar Rapids, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Mason City, Moline, Omaha, Rochester, MN, and Sioux City, a total of eighteen weekday flights, nine DC-9s and nine FH-227s.

[17] In 1986 Air Wisconsin was independently flying BAe 146-200s and de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7s to Chicago O'Hare International Airport via Cedar Rapids or Dubuque, IA.

When the original American Eagle flights began between Waterloo and Chicago, they were served by Envoy Air's Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft.

The largest aircraft to operate into the field in 2023 was an Eastern Airlines Boeing 767-300, which was charted by Whitworth University out of Spokane, WA to play an NCAA Division III football playoff game against Wartburg College in Waverly, IA.

[1] In the year ending September 30, 2023, the airport had 23,815 aircraft operations, average 65 per day: 86% general aviation, 9% air taxi 5% military, and <1% airline.

In September 2023, 81 aircraft were based at this airport: 55 single-engine, 9 multi-engine, 4 jet, 5 helicopter, and 8 military.