Seasonal air service between Erie and Tampa, Florida, begins Wednesday.
The direct flights will be aboard 137-seat A220-300 Airbus jets operated by Breeze Airways.
The first flight is scheduled to leave Erie at 7:41 p.m. and arrive in Tampa at 10:26 p.m. Flights will be offered Wednesdays and Saturdays through spring. One-way fares begin at $39.
Why Erie-Tampa service?
Breeze announced the new service last fall, citing brisk ticket sales for twice-weekly Erie-Orlando flights that began Nov. 6.
A new Breeze Airways Airbus A220 airplane taxis to the gate after landing at Erie International Airport in Millcreek Township on Nov. 6. Flight 818 was the first arrival of the new twice-weekly service from Erie to Orlando.
“Things have been going very well with the Orlando service,” airport Executive Director Derek Martin said. “Hopefully, the community will continue to respond positively to these new destinations.”
Early flights between Erie and Orlando were booked at about 90% capacity. “Erie is outperforming the system average for all Breeze locations,” Martin said last fall.
The new Tampa service will benefit more than vacation travelers. Tampa International Airport is convenient to LECOM’s Bradenton, Florida, campus and Gannon University’s campus in Ruskin, Florida, Jake Rouch, CEO of the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership, said when the new destination was announced. The Chamber is coordinating the Fly Erie Fund, a public-private partnership raising money to provide incentives to airlines to operate from Erie.
No inaugural ceremonies planned
Don’t expect a water cannon to greet the Breeze jet to Tampa when it lands in Erie around 7 p.m. on Wednesday. The airport fired a water cannon to salute the Breeze jet that began Erie-Orlando service in November.
“The weather was a little better for that inaugural flight,” Martin said. “If we did that now, we’d have to de-ice the plane.”
Coming in 2025: Breeze Airways expanding Erie service with new Florida flight
Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@timesnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Breeze Airway’s Erie and Tampa flights begin Wednesday