BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

OGDENSBURG -- Flights to Washington D.C. on Breeze Air's 137-passenger flights should begin Oct. 1.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer said Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Transportation named Breeze Airways as Ogdensburg International Airport’s new Essential Air Service carrier.

 The Senator said that Breeze will be launching a new direct, daily route from Ogdensburg International Airport to Washington, D.C. starting on October 1st. In this year’s five-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Schumer secured more than double the funding for the Essential Air Service program to guarantee service to smaller and rural communities. In October, Breeze will start offering flights between Washington, DC’s Dulles International Airport and Ogdensburg.

The Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority had been awaiting the news since June, when they voted in favor of awarding the Essential Air Service Contract to Breeze. Officials said the airline's larger jets fit with the Port Authority's vision.

“It’s official Breeze is landing in Ogdensburg! Breeze expanding its service in the North Country with flights between Ogdensburg and DC is great news for Breeze and the North Country,” Senator Schumer said in a prepared statement. “I fought to secure an increase in funding for the Essential Air Service Program in this year’s FAA bill because I know how important it is for our smaller communities to stay connected to a key hub and the national travel network. This decision is a win-win-win for Breeze, Ogdensburg, and the North Country’s economy. Ogdensburg International Airport is a gateway for commerce, tourism, and travel for North Country residents. The sky is the limit for Breeze and Ogdensburg."

Ogdensburg officials offered appreciation for the news.

"On behalf of the OBPA and community we serve, I would like to thank Senator Schumer for working with USDOT to ensure that there is no interruption of air service in Ogdensburg. The launch of Breeze Airways at Ogdensburg International Airport is a pivotal moment for our airport and our region, and the Senators efforts to cut through the red tape and make that happen are sincerely appreciated," said Steve Lawrence, Executive Director of the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority. "We are confident this new service to Washington, D.C. will not only meet the needs of local travelers but also stimulate economic growth in the area."

The Department of Transportation’s Essential Air Service program subsidizes trips between smaller and larger airports to ensure access to travel for smaller and rural communities.

Schumer has support  a bill to ensure NY’s airports are adequately funded and in this year’s FAA bill secured an over 111% funding increase per year to strengthen the Essential Air Service (EAS) program and ensure small and rural communities maintain regular commercial service.

The bill also makes it harder for airlines to terminate contracts that could leave communities without air service by incentivizing airports to keep their essential air service contracts, protecting families in areas that would not have easy access to an airport without the small one in their community.

Ogdensburg International Airport is one of five airports in New York state that currently depends on this critical program.

Breeze Airways proposal provides a 137-passenger jet with one daily round trip flight from Ogdensburg to Washington D.C. One-way fares were estimated at around $60.

Breeze is also in ongoing conversations with the airport about offering flights outside of the EAS proposal that could include flights to Florida.

Breeze Air representative Eric Fletcher noted that he was formerly an employee of Allegiant Air, which once offered flights from Ogdensburg to Florida, which were not part of an EAS contract.

He said Breeze Air currently offers that service in Plattsburgh and says market data suggests that such flights could be profitable in Ogdensburg, despite being ineligible for federal subsidies.

The weakness in Breeze’s proposal is the lack of interline partnerships. Fletcher said that while he believes that such partnerships will exist by 2024, at this time he can’t share details.

Essentially that would mean travelers would need to book their connecting flights from D.C. separately, if such deals do not come to fruition.

As for strengths, the larger jet planes tend to be more palatable for some fliers and the planes will include Wifi and options of three levels of seating ranging from general to first class.

Fletcher noted that the company believes it can capture the Canadian market in Ottawa with the flights to D.C.