County Council Approves Breeze Airways Support Program

With Breeze Airways connecting Daytona Berach to four new markets – Westchester County, New York, Hartford, Connecticut, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina and Providence, Rhode Island – Volusia County is adding the carrier to its air service support program at Daytona Beach International Airport.

According to a county staff report, Breeze qualifies for a two-year waiver of terminal rent fees and landing fees, inclusion in airport advertising and $600,000 in advertising and marketing support. The Volusia County Council approved the airline’s participation in the program earlier this month.

Before voting on the measure, Council member Danny Robins asked Cyrus Callum, director of aviation and economic resources, if the agreement with Breeze is similar to the deal offered to Avelo Airlines, which began serving DBIA earlier this year.

“The Breeze deal, there’s no minimum revenue guarantees,” Callum said, referring to the commitment the county made to Avelo to bring the budget airline to Volusia County. “This $600,000 budget item is actually what we’ve done with any of the airlines that have come in where we’ve given them marketing money from the airport’s enterprise fund.”

Callum said for every passenger that comes through the airport, the county receives approximately $21 in addition to whatever those visitors spend while in the area.

“The airport is ultimately going to make more money based on this airline being here,” he said.

Callum said the air service support program gives the airport the ability to compete with larger destinations for air carrier service.

“If we don’t have these programs, we don’t get the airlines,” he said.

Callum said with the four additional destinations, he expects passenger traffic to increase 10% to 15%.

“Those passengers contribute to our economy,” he said.

Council member David Santiago said being able to compete for airlines is important and the county needs to be active.

“This is the airport business,” he said. “If we’re going to be in the airport business, we have to be in the airport business.”