Allegiant Air, Breeze Airways & Southwest add 13 US routes in early October

Also on October 1, Breeze began twice-weekly flights from Tampa to Rochester (NY), using the same aircraft type. The route faces competition from Southwest Airlines; Frontier Airlines withdrew from it in April 2023. According to US Department of Transportation data for April 2024-March 2025, about 220 passengers travel daily between these cities—with most flying via a hub.

On October 2, six additional routes commenced. Among them was Appleton to Gulf Shores, marking Gulf Shores’ entry into commercial aviation just months earlier in May 2025. Allegiant is currently the only operator at Gulf Shores. This service is notable as it is the first time Wisconsin and Alabama have had nonstop scheduled passenger flights between them. Additionally, no city in Florida’s Panhandle has ever been linked with Appleton by direct air service.

Other routes launched on October 2 include Austin to Jacksonville (Southwest), Fresno to San Diego (Southwest), Long Island to Wilmington (NC) (Breeze), Rochester (NY) to Myrtle Beach (Breeze), and Tampa to Wilmington (NC) (Breeze). These additions bring new competition: Austin-Jacksonville pits Southwest against Delta Connection; Fresno-San Diego sees Southwest competing with Alaska Airlines; Long Island-Wilmington matches Breeze against Avelo; and Tampa-Wilmington also brings Breeze up against Avelo.

The number of travelers between Appleton/Green Bay and Pensacola/Mobile averages about 30 round-trip passengers per day. Allegiant plans to stimulate demand with low fares and promotions supported by both airports' marketing teams.

On October 3, five more routes were added: Allegiant began Des Moines-Gulf Shores and Knoxville-Key West; Breeze launched Orlando-Norfolk, Raleigh/Durham-Key West, and Tampa-Charleston (WV). For most of these airport pairs—specifically Des Moines-Gulf Shores and both Key West connections—no previous direct service existed.

Four out of these five new pairings faced no direct competition when launched. However, on Orlando-Norfolk, Breeze will compete directly with Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Spirit Airlines: "For a carrier that typically avoids direct competition, Breeze will face Frontier, Southwest, and Spirit between Orlando and Norfolk."

The route from Tampa to Charleston was previously flown by Breeze for three months in 2023 but saw low occupancy rates at that time—only about half the seats were filled according to US DOT data. With current resources and available aircraft, the airline appears optimistic about improved performance going forward.