Allegiant Air returning to Akron-Canton Airport with service to Florida, Savannah, Ga.

GREEN – Allegiant Air will return to Akron-Canton Airport next March.

The vacation-focused airline will offer service twice per week to Savannah, Ga., and three Florida cities — Punta Gorda, Sarasota and St. Petersburg.

The Tuesday morning announcement came a month after Allegiant said it would end service at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

More about Allegiant:The airline will begin service from Akron-Canton Airport in March.

Allegiant initially offered service from Akron-Canton in May 2015. It moved to Hopkins in February 2017, a few months after Spirit Airlines began service from Akron-Canton to vacation destinations in Florida and South Carolina.

"It's a huge bonus for us," Ren Camacho, the airport's president and chief executive officer, said of Allegiant's return.

The consolidation of airlines hit Akron-Canton hard, especially after Southwest Airlines merged with AirTran. Southwest eventually left Akron-Canton, placing all of its Northeast Ohio flights at Hopkins.

The coronavirus pandemic made Akron-Canton's situation worse as air travel dropped sharply. The airport is working with JobsOhio on a program to regain lost service and has generated more than $1 million in local matching funds to help bring airlines back.

Camacho said the JobsOhio program wasn't needed to bring Allegiant to Akron-Canton.

Mike Graci, manager for airport affairs at Allegiant, said the airline returned because customers prefer the convenience of Akron-Canton. He said the airport has lower operating costs than Hopkins, which helps Allegiant keep its ticket prices low.

Graci said service to the four cities is just a beginning. Allegiant is looking at other potential destinations to connect with Northeast Ohio. Likely destinations will be places with beaches or that have cultural significance, he said.

Camacho said airport staff members have been talking with Allegiant officials since the airline left, working to lure them back.

Graci said those discussions and Allegiant's previous work with Akron-Canton helped make the move from Hopkins more efficient.

Allegiant is the second airline this year to begin new service at Akron-Canton. Breeze Airways began in June offering service to New Orleans, Tampa, Fla., and Charleston, South Carolina.

Three of the four Allegiant destinations are additional locations for Akron-Canton, with the Tampa-St. Petersburg region already served. Spirit and Breeze fly to Tampa International Airport, while Allegiant flights will go into St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport.

Allegiant is offering special fares on new Akron-Canton flights. Tickets go on sale Wednesday and are for travel by May 16.