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Breeze Airways doubles down on Ohio with 11th crew base: Akron-Canton Airport

Feb. 24, 2025
3 min read
AIRBUS 50th A220 AC Assembled in Mobile - Breeze
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Breeze Airways is doubling down on the Buckeye State: The Salt Lake City-based low-cost carrier on Monday announced Ohio’s Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) will soon become its 11th crew base.

The announcement would seem to set the stage for new nonstop destinations for the airport, which is about an hour south of Cleveland in northeastern Ohio.

“The Akron-Canton community continues to show high demand for Breeze’s premium, convenient service, so establishing a base in the community is a natural fit,” Breeze founder and CEO David Neeleman said in a statement announcing the news.

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No new routes ... yet

To be clear, there are no new Breeze routes or destinations to tell you about just yet. Think of this as Breeze putting its staffing and infrastructure in place for a potential expansion down the road.

Past Breeze crew base announcements have been followed by new routes, though, with many of the carrier’s bases serving as minihubs of sorts for a dozen or more nonstop routes.

Breeze A220 Inaugural Flight Richmond SFO David Neeleman-1
DAVID SLOTNICK/THE POINTS GUY

As part of the new Ohio base, the carrier will bring 61 pilot, flight attendant and maintenance jobs to the region over the next three years — a plan that helped the startup airline secure a tax credit deal with Ohio lawmakers as part of the move.

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A sizable presence at CAK already

Breeze has already maintained a substantial presence at Akron-Canton for close to four years, since the early days of its operations in 2021. Come June, the carrier will serve nine nonstop destinations ranging from the Carolinas to Florida — along with West Coast service to Las Vegas and Los Angeles, as shown on the below map from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

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CIRIUM

(Not shown above: Breeze's nonstop service to Sarasota, Florida, offered during the winter months.)

No airline flew from CAK with as many seats as Breeze in 2024, per Cirium data — though American Airlines offered far more departures (albeit with smaller jets).

Breeze is one of two low-cost carriers serving CAK; Allegiant Air is the other. It's worth noting, though, that Frontier Airlines has a growing presence some 50 miles to the north at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE).

Bottom line

Breeze expects its Akron-Canton crew base to launch sometime this summer. It’ll mark the latest expansion for the startup airline, which continues to grow its national footprint with new routes, bases and aircraft — namely, its fleet of Airbus A220 jets. The carrier also hopes to announce its first international flights by spring, Neeleman told me in December.

Related reading:

Featured image by BREEZE AIRWAYS
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
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  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.