SWANTON, Ohio — The Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport and Toledo Lucas County Port Authority held a public open house to showcase extensive future plans for travelers.
At the event, organizers showed how the airport is doing and what its plan is for the next 20 years. The main topic that was on attendee's minds was adding more airlines and flight destinations.
Veteran Sonia Trotter came to the open house with her mother, Margaret Castillo, to find more information regarding what's happening with the airport. When Trotter was in service, she would visit her family in Toledo often.
"More options would definitely be more convenient in the long run," Trotter said. "It would've been nicer to fly into Toledo airport, rather than Detroit. And then get picked up there."
Of course, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is a much larger airport with international flight options.
Toledo Express only offers nonstop service to four destinations: Phoenix-Mesa, AZ; Fort Myers/Punta Gorda, FL; Orlando/Sanford, FL; and Tampa/St. Pete, FL. All the flights are through Allegiant Air.
Although the city of Toledo is roughly the same size as the city of Akron, the Akron-Canton Regional Airport can fly nonstop to four times as many destinations across the country.
Tim O'Donnell is the Airport Director at Toledo Express and he said Allegiant Air has seen growth within the past year. The airline added a route to Phoenix-Mesa last year and served more 120,944 passengers.
Toledo Express also does well with cargo. The airport landed 150 million pounds of weight last year, according to O'Donnell.
But passengers still remember when American Airlines was here before it left in September 2022.
"My heat dropped a little bit because I thought at least they took me where I wanted to go," said Castillo.
The Port Authority said it's working with multiple airlines and offering incentives to bring in something new. This could include waivers to passenger fees, advertising support and even a possible minimum revenue guarantee, according to the Port Authority.
This is in hopes Toledo Express will look more attractive to airlines, something O'Donnell said he will be able to announce soon.
"We're talking to several airlines and we're very optimistic in the next 12 months that we'll see an announcement coming from Toledo Express Airport," O'Donnell said.
That's welcome news for Castillo, who's flown out of Toledo Express multiple times. She likes the small atmosphere and convenience, compared to larger airports like in Detroit.
"Ok, when I get there do I have to hop on the tram to get to the other side of the airport?" she said while explaining her journey through large airports. "I missed a flight that way!"
The news of a possibility of more passenger flights being added is a welcomed idea.
"It's just a better future I think for us to have these new airlines coming in, or the legacy ones coming back," said Trotter.
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