Breeze Airways Now a Major Player in Northeast Ohio Market, Will Become Akron-Canton’s Largest Carrier This Year

GREEN, Ohio – Breeze Airways, which launched at the Akron-Canton Airport just two years ago, is poised to become the airport’s largest carrier later this year.

The airline, which didn’t even exist prior to 2021, started at Akron-Canton with three destinations. It now flies to seven cities from CAK, with an eighth landing this fall, drawing travelers from throughout Northeast Ohio.

The growth of Breeze at Akron-Canton is just the latest chapter in the ongoing evolution of Northeast Ohio’s two airports, fueled both by economics and the lasting effects of the pandemic on air travel.

A decade ago, when Cleveland Hopkins was still a hub for United Airlines, Akron-Canton established itself as a less-expensive alternative airport, with dominant AirTran Airways offering cheaper fares on flights to Florida and other leisure-focused destinations.

After Southwest purchased AirTran in 2011, however, it eventually consolidated its Northeast Ohio operations at Cleveland. At about the same time, United was downsizing at Hopkins, opening up opportunities for competitor airlines, including low-cost carriers Frontier and Spirit.

For several years in the late 2010s, average fares on flights from Cleveland Hopkins were actually lower than fares from Akron-Canton.

Now, with the growth of Breeze – and the relocation of Allegiant Air back to the Akron-Canton Airport in early 2022 – CAK again has dramatically lower fares than those at Cleveland.

According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the average fare at Akron-Canton during the first quarter of 2023 was $293, compared to $349 at Cleveland Hopkins.

While fares are lower, Akron-Canton also has far fewer flights and destinations than Cleveland, located about 50 miles north.

Cleveland, with 10 airlines and 35 destinations, served 8.7 million travelers in 2022.

Akron-Canton, with four carriers and 18 nonstop destinations, served just over 534,000 travelers in 2022.

Lisa Dalpiaz, vice president of air service and business development at Akron-Canton, noted that in 2017 – when Southwest Airlines was still the airport’s largest carrier — CAK had four carriers and 14 destinations.

“We’re building out a larger network and map,” she said. “It just looks a little different than before the pandemic.”

She credited Breeze’s unique product – low fares combined with some higher-end options, including extra-legroom seating – for the carrier’s appeal.

The carrier also flies to several destinations that are not available from Cleveland Hopkins, including West Palm Beach, Florida; Norfolk, Virginia; and Charleston, South Carolina.

Starting in October, Breeze will become the largest carrier at Akron-Canton, as defined by available seats, eclipsing Allegiant for the title.

In August, according to airport figures, Allegiant is scheduled to offer 68 flights to eight destinations for a total of 11,841 available seats. Breeze, meanwhile, is expected to have 93 flights to five destinations, for 11,668 seats.

In October, Breeze will offer 13,322 seats, while Allegiant will offer 9,618, according to the airport.

And Breeze’s numbers are expected to continue to grow. In November, the carrier will launch its eighth destination from Akron-Canton, to Fort Myers, Florida.

Gareth Edmondson-Jones, a spokesman for Breeze, said Akron-Canton was one of the carrier’s most successful cities, with 42,000 seats for sale in the fourth quarter of 2023, up from 10,500 during the same period in 2021. “It’s been great to see travelers from Cleveland finding our service from Akron/Canton in larger and larger numbers too,” he said.

Northeast Ohio fliers can expect additional growth from Breeze next spring, he said.

Breeze bills itself as a low-cost carrier, but with some amenities that set it apart from competitors – chiefly, three categories of seating on its aircraft, Nice, Nicer and Nicest, with the latter two offering extra legroom, complimentary seat assignments, checked and carry-on bags, plus drinks and snacks.

The airline was conceived by David Neeleman, who founded JetBlue in the late 1990s. Initially, the carrier targeted smaller, secondary airports, including Akron-Canton. More recently, it has added larger facilities, including Los Angeles, Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Like other low-cost airlines, Breeze typically flies a route less than daily, sometimes as infrequently as once a week.

Breeze’s growth in Ohio has come with substantial financial backing from the state.

At least in terms of routes, Breeze, which also flies from the Columbus and Cincinnati airports, has been the top beneficiary of a new air service restoration fund created by JobsOhio, the state’s private, nonprofit economic development arm.

The fund, $10 million annually, was created in 2020 to help restore air service after pandemic-related cuts.

In addition to Breeze, airlines that have taken advantage of the program include Aer Lingus, with new service between Cleveland and Dublin, Ireland; Alaska Airlines, with new routes between Cleveland and Seattle; British Airways, which launched service between Cincinnati and London this year; and Avelo Airlines, with new service between Dayton and Orlando.

The incentive is not a direct payment, but rather a minimum revenue guarantee – payable only if the route doesn’t meet certain agreed-upon revenue goals.

Matt Englehart, a spokesman with JobsOhio, declined to say how much money Breeze has received for its Akron-Canton service. He did note, however, that the airline declined the incentive on two of its newest flights from Akron-Canton.

“Due to its success at CAK, Breeze has added two routes – Norfolk, Va. (ORF) and West Palm Beach (PBI) – without choosing to have them incentivized through the Air Service Restoration Program,” he said.

Even with the incentive, Breeze has discontinued some routes from Akron-Canton, including flights to Nashville and Hartford, Connecticut. Breeze exited the Nashville market entirely earlier this year.

Currently, the carrier flies to 35 cities, up from 16 when it launched two years ago.

Industry analyst Mike Boyd said Breeze has had some hits and misses in its first two years of operation. “There will be some markets that work and some that don’t,” said Boyd, president of Boyd Group International. “I think we have to wait and see.”

The carrier is spending considerably more money than it’s bringing in, according to recent published reports, which cite company financial data filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Boyd, however, said it’s too early to declare the experiment a success or failure.

The airline has had to deal with numerous unforeseen issues – including the pandemic, a pilot shortage, high gas prices and more – that were not anticipated when the business was conceived.

Neeleman, said Boyd, has a proven track record and knows what he’s doing. “He started flying to places where there wasn’t even bus service,” said Boyd. “When he puts out a plan, I stand back and listen.”

Dalpiaz, meanwhile, said Akron-Canton is still working to bring back service that the airport lost during the pandemic, including routes to Houston, Atlanta and New York City.

©2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit cleveland.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.