Regional airports north of New York City, particularly Westchester County Airport and Tweed Airport, are experiencing substantial growth in passenger traffic, primarily due to the introduction of budget airlines like Avelo and Breeze. Westchester County Airport saw an increase from 1.5 million to 2.3 million passengers from 2017 to 2024, while Tweed Airport's traffic surged tenfold since 2019. While there is more passenger volume, Westchester County officials noted a shift towards smarter, larger aircraft rather than an increase in total flights, indicating a more-efficient model for accommodating the rise in travelers.
On a random Tuesday afternoon, Westchester County Airport was a busy place. Frequent flier Jill Forrester said she has noticed a big increase in passenger volume.
Avelo and Breeze have built routes out of Westchester and Tweed airports to places that people want to go, mostly leisure-focused destinations, and they are charging fares that are potentially more reasonably priced.
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