Sun-seeking Ohioans just got their winter escape plan. Breeze Airways is painting the Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) map with a splash of sunshine, announcing Wednesday a game-changing expansion that will connect Northeast Ohio directly to six coveted vacation destinations starting this fall.
The airline, which has made waves in the industry with its “seriously nice” approach to air travel, will roll out service to five Florida hotspots and one North Carolina gem between September and November, effectively turning CAK into a gateway to the Atlantic coast.
The Florida-heavy lineup reads like a beach lover’s wish list: Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Key West, and West Palm Beach, with coastal Wilmington, North Carolina rounding out the collection. The new service will roll out in phases, perfectly timed for winter escape planning.
Mark your calendars: Daytona Beach flights take off September 3, operating Wednesdays and Saturdays with wallet-friendly fares starting at just $49 one-way. Jacksonville service follows on September 4 with Thursday and Sunday departures from $59 one-way, while West Palm Beach connections launch September 3 on Mondays and Fridays.
As temperatures drop in Ohio, more southern connections arrive. Key West service—a rare find from regional airports—begins October 2, while both Fort Lauderdale and Wilmington flights join the schedule in November. Get excited about booking, just don’t forget that now you need a real ID to fly.
Several routes will showcase Breeze’s cleverly named “BreezeThru” service, the airline’s version of a direct connection that lets passengers reach destinations with a single stop but without the hassle of changing planes. The expansion delivers more than just beach access for snowbird Ohioans. In what might be the biggest economic win, Breeze Airways will establish a new crew base at CAK, creating over 60 high-quality jobs for pilots, flight attendants, and maintenance personnel over the next three years.
The announcement hits like a ray of sunshine for tourism-dependent destinations in Florida and North Carolina, which have been aggressively courting Midwest travelers with their promises of year-round warmth and coastal amenities. Local business leaders are already calculating the ripple effects. Beyond just vacation traffic, these direct routes put them on the map for businesses considering relocation and dramatically boosts tourism potential.
Industry analysts see this move as textbook Breeze—a young airline that has made its name by zigging where legacy carriers zag, focusing on underserved markets like Akron-Canton and connecting them directly to leisure destinations without the traditional hub-and-spoke detour.
While major airlines battle for dominance at congested hubs, Breeze is quietly revolutionizing air travel for secondary markets. They’ve identified a sweet spot—leisure travelers who want convenient, affordable access to vacation destinations without the headache of connecting flights through Chicago or Atlanta, or the 45-minute drive to Cleveland Hopkins.
All new routes are available for booking through the airline’s website or mobile app, with promotional fares that seem designed to trigger impulse purchases of long weekend getaways. The airline’s timing—announcing summer bookings just as Northeast Ohio emerges from another gray winter—appears strategically calculated to capitalize on pent-up travel demand.
For Summit County residents who’ve long watched Cleveland get the lion’s share of air service upgrades, Breeze’s expansion feels like validation. No longer will locals need to factor in I-77 traffic delays or downtown Cleveland parking costs when planning their Florida escape. The beach, it seems, just got six steps closer.
For Akron-Canton Airport, which has worked diligently to attract new service since the pandemic reshuffled the airline industry, Wednesday’s announcement represents both validation and victory. As travelers increasingly seek stress-free alternatives to mega-airports, CAK’s bet on convenience as its competitive edge appears to be paying off handsomely.
