Two airlines have announced service expansions from Cleveland.
American Airlines said that starting June 4 it will increase its capacity to New York LaGuardia Airport and Washington Reagan National Airport.
Spirit Airlines said it launched service between Cleveland and Cancun, Mexico, on Feb. 14.
The American flights, which operate under the American Eagle brand with regional jet equipment, will use larger capacity planes than the carrier is flying on those routes currently.
Service to Washington will expand from three to four flights for a capacity increase of 150 additional seats.
American Eagle’s level of service to LaGuardia will remain four flights daily, but will use larger aircraft that will add 150 additional seats per day.
On both routes American Eagle currently flies 44-seat Embraer regional jets but that will increase to 76-seat Embraer jets.
The announcement by American came about a month after United Airlines said it was ending its United Express service to LaGuardia and Reagan National airports on March 29 in favor of beefed up service from Cleveland to its hub airports at Newark Liberty International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.
Until it closed its hub in Cleveland in 2014 United flew to 60 cities. It now flies non-stop from Cleveland to 12 destinations.
Spirit said it will fly four times a week between Cleveland and Cancun, a route now being served by Frontier Airlines.
The low fare carrier which is also known for its numerous fees also said it is increasing service from Cleveland to Florida; Las Vegas; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Those service upgrades include daily service to Tampa that will now operate all year round rather than just during the winter.
Service to Orlando will expand from two to three times daily while the number of flights to Fort Lauderdale will increase to twice daily.
Flights to Las Vegas will also double to two a day while Myrtle Beach will be served two times a day during the season when those flights operate.
Spirit recently marked its fifth anniversary of serving Cleveland. When it entered the Cleveland market it flew to just three Florida cities – Orlando, Tampa and Fort Myers – but now links Cleveland with 12 destinations.
It is the sixth largest carrier at Hopkins, trailing United, Delta, Southwest, American and Frontier.
Although Frontier is not planning any new routes from Cleveland, it said it will increase the number of seats available by 50 percent this summer to Orlando, Fort Myers and Charleston, South Carolina.
Spirit also flies from the Akron-Canton Airport to Orland year around and during the winter to Fort Myers and Tampa.
“We’re pleased with our performance at Akron-Canton. We see no problem serving both airports, and believe we offer even more options to the region by having CAK,” said Nick Bartolotta, Spirit’s director of network planning.
Spirit’s expansion is in part being driven by a larger fleet. It is buying 21 new Airbus jets this year and plans to buy another 27 aircraft in 2021 for a fleet of 200 jets.
Other cities served from Cleveland by Spirit include Atlanta, Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles and New Orleans.
Tags: airline service changes, airline service in Northeast Ohio, airlines, airlines in Northeast Ohio, Akron-Canton Airport, American Airlines, Cleveland Hopkins Airport, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines
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