Dayton airport adds new flight to ‘Magic City’

The Dayton International Airport this fall will offer a new weekly nonstop flight to Miami, which is the second new flight the airport has added this year to the Sunshine State.

From Nov. 7 to April 3, 2021, American Airlines will provide new air service to Miami, a.k.a. the “Magic City,” on Saturdays.

The flight will leave Dayton at 6:30 a.m. Saturdays and depart Miami for the Gem City at 9:30 p.m.

After failing to meet its goal of adding a new flight in 2019, the Dayton International Airport has successfully added service to two Florida destinations this year.

The other new nonstop route was Allegiant’s flight to the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport.

“Our passengers and our community will benefit from the convenience of this new nonstop flight to Miami, and just in time to take a break from the winter chill of Ohio,” said Gil Turner, Dayton’s director of aviation.

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

American Airlines has helped connect Dayton to the rest of the world for more than 80 years, and the additional service is a big win for the airport, said Turner.

“It has been encouraging to see passenger confidence in our airport and our airline partners continue to grow since the beginning of the pandemic,” Turner said.

Miami is a major destination that is in high demand during the cold weather months, officials say.

“Nonstop flights to MIA mean just one stop to the Caribbean and Latin America for beautiful escapes, and we look forward to providing that convenience for our customers in Dayton,” said Brian Znotins, American Airlines’ vice president of network planning.

It’s hard to say at this time if additional flights to the Miami market will happen in the future due to challenges in the air travel industry due to COVID-19, airport officials said.

Demand is a major consideration, but it’s encouraging that American Airlines saw an opportunity in Dayton, said Linda Hughes, Dayton’s air service manager.

The flights will be on Embraer ERJ145 aircraft with 50 seats, and the timing of the departing and returning flights means travelers could take a mini escape, in which they get to experience Miami and still return to Dayton the same day, Hughes said.

Dayton’s seasonal and twice weekly flight to Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport started earlier this year.

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