Behind the scenes at Tallahassee International Airport, conversations are taking place with several airlines in the hopes of bringing more carriers and routes here.
Nothing appears to be firm — at least not yet. A few leads appear promising, however, if all goes well.
Some are heavy hitters in the industry. Others are low-fare, discount airlines that serve cities nationwide. The question for both is whether they’re willing to take a gamble on Tallahassee’s airport — a 2,485-acre site owned, operated and managed by the City of Tallahassee that’s seen its share of highs and lows.
While an under construction $28-million International Processing Facility could unlock a wave of economic opportunities, the airport is grappling with the short-lived JetBlue route ending next month and two failed expansion attempts by outside companies.
David Pollard, aviation director at Tallahassee’s airport, was careful not to make premature promises for a city hungry for more flights at affordable prices. He said landing new carriers continues to be a top priority and his team has scheduled meetings on a routine basis, where pitches are made to support the city’s vision.
“They’re very interested in not only the data that might support our case, but they’re interested in hearing about our community and what’s coming, what’s here and what’s projected,” Pollard said. “We’re trying to bring more air service options to our community but in a strategic way that makes sense for our airport.”
He said the goal is to share highlights about Tallahassee and the capital region to “make a business case for each particular airline and particular destinations.”
Through a public records request, the Tallahassee Democrat obtained emails in an effort to gain insight on the airport’s strategy. The emails reveal ongoing exchanges between the airport’s leadership and decision makers at airlines.
Here’s a snapshot of some of those conversations and what Tallahassee may see in the future:
A new Frontier? City discusses possible timeline
A detailed presentation of facts and insights about Tallahassee’s economic picture and demographics are sent with each pitch to a potential carrier.
About 398,000 residents live in the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and nearly 1.5 million people reside within a 90-mile radius of the Tallahassee’s airport from a 34-county area spanning North Florida, Southwest Georgia and Southeast Alabama, according to airport documents.
There’s also information about Tallahassee assets, including its three colleges and rising research presence, an under-construction customs facility at the airport and two private sector success stories with Amazon’s fulfilment center and Danfoss Turbocor, the world’s leading producer of oil-free compressors.
The goal is to grab an airline’s attention.
They may have done just that with Frontier Airlines, a low-cost airlines based in Denver, Colorado. A potential timeline was included in email exchanges between Tallahassee airport leaders and representatives of the company.
In a July 22 email to Frontier airline executives, Tallahassee Deputy Aviation Director Vanessa Spaulding said it was “a pleasure reconnecting with you during our virtual meeting last week.” She thanked them for taking time to “discuss potential opportunities for new service at TLH.”
“We are eager to further explore opportunities for new service to DEN (Denver, Colorado) and SJU (San Juan, Puerto Rico), as well destinations such as PHL (Philadelphia), ORD (Chicago), and Cancun, which you indicated may be feasible in spring or summer of 2025.”
Pitches made to Allegiant for new services
During the summer, Tallahassee airport executives also made a play for new service with Allegiant Air. The Las Vegas-based, low-fare airline showed interest in Tallahassee for its business model focused on making “leisure travel affordable and convenient.”
“We were delighted to hear updates on Allegiant and to share the many exciting projects underway at TLH, notably the construction of a new Federal Inspection Services (FIS) facility slated to be complete and operational in 2025,” wrote Spaulding in a July 1 email.
She assured airline executives that the city would keep them apprised of new developments and updates at the capital airport, along with economic indicators. Her email also hinted at cities that are being considered for service.
“We would love to continue the conversation regarding opportunities for service to Las Vegas, Chicago Midway, Nashville, Asheville, Washington, D.C., Newark, Houston, and Boston.”
The American way: ‘Carrier very happy with TLH’ but new routes may be challenging
In May, Tallahassee airport officials met reps from a string of airlines at the JumpStart 2024 Air Service Development Conference in Washington, D.C. The event allowed them to get face time with potential networking planners and decision makers.
Local airport officials described their meeting with American Airlines execs as a “very straightforward engagement.”
“They plainly stated upfront that there was no appetite for new service,” TLH Airport Special Projects Coordinator Tim Anderson wrote in a post-mortem email to Pollard and others. “They also stated that American is very happy with TLH.”
Anderson reported American intends to upgrade their aircraft that are servicing the Charlotte, N.C., segment, and they are looking at increasing Miami flights to four-times daily. Airline officials “were typing” when TLH officials talked about the incentives package the city offers, which includes waived landing fees, facility fee credits and marketing assistance.
“We emphasized that our incentives were a starting point,” he wrote.
A month later, Spaulding thanked American Airlines representatives for their time after meeting with them at JumpStart 2024.
“Thank you for taking the time to meet with TLH to discuss opportunities to enhance service to existing hubs and add new service to ORD (Chicago) and PHL (Philadelphia),” Spaulding wrote. “We were pleased to learn that you are very happy with American’s performance in our market and that you are considering adding frequency to MIA (Miami).”
In a more recent email from Spaulding to American Airlines representative, she thanked them for an opportunity to continue discussions.
“We will be sure to keep you apprised of any new airport projects and updates and will work to provide you the information you requested on our rate structure and second home ownership,” she wrote. “We would love to continue the conversation regarding opportunities for service to Las Vegas, Chicago Midway, Nashville, Asheville, Washington, D.C., Newark, Houston, and Boston.”
Rachel Stoolman, general manager at for Tallahassee site for Envoy, an American Airlines Group Company, said in a June 25 email that the AA network was “looking into data” for a Chicago flight. She presented a chart that showed that about 20 Tallahassee passengers make their way to the Windy City each day.
“Do you have more encouraging data that I can share with them?” Stoolman said.
The last time American Airlines introduced new direct flights outside of Florida was in 2018 with service to Washington, D.C.
Will we ever be United again?
On the flip side, in 2020, United Airlines offered a single daily direct flight from Tallahassee to Houston that was eliminated a year later and the airline pulled out of TLH.
During the JumpStart conference, Tallahassee officials spoke to a senior analyst and planner for the airline. He said restarting service at TLH was an “interesting opportunity,” but said a single flight a day “doesn’t work.”
“He stated that it is a ‘weird time’ and that they were short on planes,” Anderson wrote. “Once they got more planes they would be interested in new opportunities and that TLH to IAH (George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston) would be a ‘good fit.’ “
The airline also noted that Tallahassee’s location was “challenging” because it is farther away from their hubs. For that reason, routes to Dulles International in Washington, D.C. or O’Hare in Chicago would be a “goal for the future.”
The Delta dream: A flight to Cancun?
During the JumpStart conference, local airport officials thought their talks with Delta were their “best engagement.”
A Delta project manager and network planner told local airport officials that Tallahassee Airport is “more ‘businessy’ than typical Florida airports which handled schools, snowbirds and tourists (Disney).”
For TLH, the carrier favored “upgauging” aircrafts and increased frequency over new routes in the short-term. The executive said they want to focus on building out their hub in Atlanta and then look at expanding regional service.
“More seats/bigger planes is Delta’s strategy and it’s easier to manage operationally,” Anderson reported. “Lots of little planes clog up airspace and create log jams at gates.”
He noted Delta officials said they don’t have “lack of confidence in the market or TLH, just a lack of resources.”
“You’re doing better than most, especially in Florida,” the exec told Anderson of TLH’s performance.
Local officials also floated the possibility of a flight to Cancun, Mexico, but at the present time that would require a tradeoff in service that TLH already has.
In a follow-up email on June 10, Spaulding thanked the airline for taking the time “to meet with TLH to discuss opportunities to enhance service to ATL and introduce new service to LGA (LaGuardia Airport in New York) and potentially Cancun.”
Will Tallahassee land new service? Time will tell
Pollard declined to say whether Tallahassee airport is close to confirming any new routes in the near future.
“We don’t want to preempt the study by that airline. We work closely with those network planners to make the business case, and it would be premature for me to speculate on a particular airline or a particular market,” he said.
“Let me just say that we continue to have very productive conversations with several air carriers.”
Contact Economic Development Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.