Charlotte appears briefly on Toledo schedule and then is gone
Nov. 20—American Eagle Airlines has again canceled service between Toledo and Charlotte, N.C., after the twice-daily flights at Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport were briefly reinstated.
Joe Cappel, the vice president for business services at the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, said American had offered flights starting in the first week of April, but last week pulled the flights from its schedule, effective April 5.
He said it doesn't mean Charlotte will never be served again from Toledo, and blamed the cancellation on shortages of staff, aircraft, or both.
Charlotte had been one of five destinations that could be reached from Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport.
"We're hopeful, like everyone else, when [the pandemic] clears up, the Toledo-Charlotte service comes back," Mr. Cappel said. "It really just boils down to the availability of resources, not just pilots, but crews and equipment."
Prior to being suspended earlier this month, American Eagle had two round-trip flights daily to Charlotte.
According to Mr. Cappel, the flight was a popular one for American. He said 2,626, or 86 percent, of the 3,050 outbound seats available during August were booked.
Mr. Cappel said he learned July 22 that American Airlines' commuter affiliate was going to suspend service to Charlotte beginning in November with the hope of bringing it back in the spring.
American also has two daily round trips between Toledo and Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
Allegiant Air currently flies between Toledo and St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla., on Sundays and Thursdays, Orlando-Sanford, Fla., on Mondays and Fridays, and Fort Myers-Punta Gorda, Fla., on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Additional days are scheduled during peak periods, such as right around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
He said Toledo passengers can still connect with other destinations through the American Airlines hub at O'Hare.
According to an online industry publication, TPG, Toledo-Charlotte was one of 27 routes freshly axed by American.
The publication said 18 of the 27 routes cut by the Fort Worth-based carrier touched New York's John F. Kennedy or LaGuardia airports.
The nine remaining cuts include a big reduction in Canada service, along with some tweaks to the airline's regional network from Boston, Charlotte, Chicago. and Philadelphia.
A monthly report published by the port authority showed the Toledo airport's traffic had picked up since the depths of the pandemic-related shutdowns in 2020.
Total passengers flying with Allegiant increased from 6,087 in October, 2020 to 7,603 last month, while American's traffic increased from 5,118 in October, 2020 to 5,276 last month. Counting charters, total passengers flying in and out of Toledo Express increased 14.3 percent, from 11,264 to 12,879. In the same period, total numbers of seats available dropped from 19,798 in October, 2020, to 15,556 last month.
First Published November 20, 2021, 9:00am
