Spirit starts up service at Akron

By Kalea Hall | July 27, 2016 at 12:09a.m.

Official doesn’t anticipate impact at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport

AKRON

This fall, Spirit Airlines will start service at the Akron-Canton Airport to four destinations.

While the destinations are similar to the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, the Vienna airport does not expect to see an impact.

“I, personally, don’t think there will be an impact on Youngstown,” said Dan Dickten, director of aviation at the airport in Vienna.

Youngstown-Warren airport only loses 9 percent of passengers to Akron-Canton, Dickten explained.

Spirit and Akron-Canton Airport officials announced the new service Tuesday with music, falling Spirit balloons and festive Spirit-theme cake.

An Allegiant spokesman issued this statement to The Vindicator:

“The announcements ... do not impact our service at CAK, and we’re confident that Northeast Ohio travelers will continue to take advantage of our friendly, low-cost and nonstop service from CAK to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Myrtle Beach, Tampa Bay and Savannah/Hilton Head now and into the fall.”

Spirit, the low-fare airline, will start service Nov. 10 from Akron-Canton to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Orlando International Airport and Tampa International Airport.

Service to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Fla., will launch Nov. 11. On April 27, 2017, seasonal service to Myrtle Beach International Airport will launch.

The new Spirit service brings the airport from 15 nonstop domestic destinations to 17 offered by Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and, now, Spirit.

“This airline will compliment our current lineup of airlines,” said Rick McQueen, president and chief executive officer of the Akron-Canton Airport.

The addition of the Spirit service at Akron-Canton was called a “game changer” by airport officials, who worked to get Spirit service for a decade.

“Air service doesn’t happen overnight,” McQueen said. “It’s a very long process. This is a great example.”

Akron-Canton, which turns 70 in the fall, grew with AirTran’s low-cost airfare for years. In 2011, AirTran was acquired by Southwest.

“People of Northeast Ohio have come to expect low fares,” McQueen said.

Allegiant, another low-fare airline and a main competitor of Spirit, offers service from Akron-Canton to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers/Punta Gorda, Myrtle Beach, Orlando Sanford International Airport, Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport.

Spirit and Allegiant will now both have the same flights from the Akron-Canton Airport to Fort Lauderdale and Myrtle Beach.

Allegiant offers Fort Lauderdale flights and a seasonal Myrtle Beach service twice a week.

Spirit will offer Fort Lauderdale flights once daily. Its Myrtle Beach service will also be seasonal, but daily flights will be offered.

Allegiant flies to Orlando Sanford twice a week, and Spirit will fly to Orlando International Airport once daily. Spirit’s seasonal service to Tampa will be offered three days a week, and its seasonal Fort Myers service will be offered four days a week.

“There’s always concern whenever you bring in a new carrier,” McQueen said.

But McQueen says the airport is confident the new number of flights will be supported.

Spirit felt the time was right to start the new service this fall because the region has seen a reduction in flights and increase in fares.

In January 2015, Spirit started service at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to several destinations including Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Fort Myers, Tampa and Myrtle Beach.

“We are very happy with our customers there,” said Mark Kopczak, vice president of network planning for Spirit. “We have full flights.”

Spirit sees the Akron service complementing the Cleveland service. The airline noticed it had passengers from the Akron area flying out of Cleveland, but it could have more.

“We have some [passengers] come up but not in huge numbers, so we knew we could fill an airplane,” Kopczak said. “We are happy to be here and happy to be growing in Northeast Ohio.”

Spirit is done growing in Northeast Ohio for awhile, Kopczak added.

Tickets for the new Spirit service at Akron-Canton went on sale Tuesday on Spirit’s website.