Breeze Ends a 15-Month Slide, but Tallahassee Is Still Flying 74,000 Fewer Passengers a Year Than It Was
TallahasseeBusinessNews.com | By Brian French | Published September 8, 2026 | Data through July 2026
This is the first edition of the TLH Airport Scorecard, a monthly Florida Authority Network series tracking passenger traffic, airline share, route changes, cargo, and incentive spending at Tallahassee International Airport. Updated each month when the City of Tallahassee releases its Passenger Traffic Report.
Quick Answer
Is air travel at Tallahassee International Airport growing or shrinking? Both, depending on the window. July 2026 passenger traffic rose 8.0% year-over-year to 78,869, the first monthly gain after a long decline, and the gain came almost entirely from Breeze Airways, which carried 4,196 passengers in its first month of Fort Lauderdale and Raleigh-Durham service. Strip Breeze out and the incumbent carriers grew about 2.3%. But on a trailing 12-month basis TLH is still handling 871,410 passengers, down 7.8% from 945,221 a year earlier — roughly 74,000 fewer annual passengers — after 15 consecutive months of annualized decline that began when Silver Airways shut down in June 2025. The scorecard’s verdict: the bleeding has stopped; the recovery has not yet started.
The Numbers at a Glance
| Metric | Latest | Prior Year | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 passengers | 78,869 | 73,005 | +8.0% |
| June 2026 passengers | 71,309 | 75,389 | -5.4% |
| May 2026 passengers | — | — | -8.9% |
| April 2026 passengers | — | — | -8.5% |
| Trailing 12 months, July 2026 | 871,410 | 945,221 | -7.8% |
| Trailing 12 months, June 2026 | 865,546 | 951,015 | -9.0% |
| Calendar 2025 total passengers (FAA) | 901,353 | — | -6.9% |
| Calendar 2025 enplanements (FAA) | 453,400 | — | — |
| Breeze Airways, July 2026 (first month) | 4,196 passengers | n/a | new |
| Monthly air cargo | ~1.7 million lbs | ~flat | ~0% |
Sources: City of Tallahassee Passenger Traffic Reports as compiled by Tallahassee Reports; FAA; WCTV. See Methodology.
What the Data Shows
The Silver Airways hole
Tallahassee’s traffic problem has a date on it. Silver Airways, which had operated regional service into TLH, ceased operations in June 2025. From that point the airport’s annualized passenger count fell month after month — 15 consecutive months by June 2026 — bottoming near 865,000 against a pre-collapse run rate above 950,000.
Two legacy carriers were left to serve every scheduled passenger: American Airlines and the Delta group (Delta mainline and Delta Connection). Neither backfilled the lost capacity. In June 2026, American’s passenger count was down 7.5% year-over-year while Delta’s was up 1.4%; in July, American was flat (-0.2%) and Delta grew 4.7%.
Breeze changed the July number — and the airline share
Breeze Airways began three-times-weekly nonstops (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Sundays) to Fort Lauderdale and Raleigh-Durham on July 2, 2026, flying 137-seat Airbus A220-300s with introductory fares from $39 one way. In that first partial month it carried 4,196 passengers, which is 5.3% of TLH’s July total.
July 2026 passenger contribution by carrier
| Carrier | Approx. share of July 2026 | Year-over-year |
|---|---|---|
| Delta group | Majority of remaining traffic | +4.7% |
| American Airlines | Remainder | -0.2% |
| Breeze Airways | 5.3% (4,196) | New entrant |
Without Breeze, July would have been 74,673 passengers, up about 2.3% — modest organic growth, but the first positive print for the incumbents in over a year. With Breeze, the annualized total ticked up 0.68% from June to July, the first month-over-month increase in the trailing-12 series since the decline began.
The economics behind Breeze: a minimum revenue guarantee
Breeze did not come to Tallahassee on demand alone. City Aviation Director David Pollard has acknowledged that a minimum revenue guarantee was part of the negotiation, funded through an air-service incentive program approved by the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency and the City Commission that provides $10 million over 15 years for route development. Pollard’s rationale: Tallahassee’s smaller catchment population makes a guarantee necessary to compete for low-cost carriers.
The scorecard will track how much of that $10 million is drawn down by Breeze and any future entrants, and whether the routes survive the introductory-fare window that ended September 15, 2026.
Cargo is the quiet constant
While passenger traffic swung, TLH continued to move approximately 1.7 million pounds of air cargo per month in spring 2026, roughly even with the prior year. Cargo does not depend on the leisure or legislative calendar and is a steadier signal of the region’s logistics base.
Where TLH Passengers Are Going
With Breeze’s launch, TLH’s nonstop map in summer 2026 consists of the American and Delta hub connections plus two new point-to-point leisure and business routes:
| Destination | Carrier | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta (ATL) | Delta | Multiple daily |
| Charlotte (CLT) | American | Daily |
| Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) | American | Daily |
| Miami (MIA) | American | Daily |
| Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | Breeze | Tue/Thu/Sun |
| Raleigh-Durham (RDU) | Breeze | Tue/Thu/Sun |
Hub route list reflects the carriers’ established TLH service; frequencies vary seasonally. Verify current schedules at flytallahassee.com.
The Fort Lauderdale route is notable for the legislative calendar: it is the first nonstop link between the capital and South Florida’s population center, and its Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday pattern aligns with a commuting week. The 2027 session, convening March 2, will be the first real test of whether lobbyists, legislators, and agency contractors from Broward and Miami-Dade shift from I-95/I-10 drives to a 90-minute flight.
What It Means for Tallahassee Business
Economic development: Site selectors weigh nonstop access. A metro that lost 7% of its air traffic in a year and has only two legacy carriers is at a disadvantage against Jacksonville and Pensacola. Breeze’s arrival partially answers that, but only if the routes prove durable past the incentive period.
Hospitality: The FLL nonstop is the first direct pipeline for South Florida leisure and business travelers. Hotels should watch whether Breeze’s Sunday arrivals correlate with Monday–Wednesday occupancy during committee weeks this fall.
Leakage to other airports: Tallahassee travelers routinely drive to Jacksonville (JAX), Panama City (ECP), and Valdosta (VLD) for lower fares or more nonstops. A trailing-12 count of 871,000 in a metro of roughly 400,000 residents plus two universities suggests substantial leakage that a low-cost entrant is positioned to recapture.
Taxpayers: The $10 million Blueprint air-service fund is public money. The scorecard will report incentive dollars per incremental passenger as data becomes available.
Brian’s Take
The July headline — traffic up 8% — is real, and Breeze earned it. But the honest read is that Tallahassee is still flying about 74,000 fewer passengers a year than it was before Silver Airways folded, and one 137-seat airplane three days a week on two routes does not close that gap on its own. Breeze added 4,200 passengers in a month; the hole is 74,000 a year. What matters now is the next three prints. If August and September show Breeze holding 4,000-plus passengers a month after the $39 fares expire, and if American stops shrinking, the trailing-12 line turns positive by early 2027 — right as the March session starts. If Breeze’s numbers fade with the introductory fares, the city will have spent guarantee money to rent a bump rather than buy a recovery. The number to watch is the annualized total: it needs to get back above 900,000 to say the decline is over. It is at 871,000 today.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many passengers use Tallahassee International Airport? TLH handled 901,353 total passengers in calendar 2025, down 6.9% from 2024, according to FAA data. The trailing 12-month total through July 2026 was 871,410.
Which airlines fly out of Tallahassee? American Airlines, Delta Air Lines (including Delta Connection), and, since July 2, 2026, Breeze Airways. Silver Airways ended service in June 2025.
Where does Breeze fly from Tallahassee? Nonstop to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Raleigh-Durham (RDU), three days a week — Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays — on Airbus A220-300 aircraft.
Why did Tallahassee airport traffic decline in 2025 and 2026? The primary cause was the June 2025 shutdown of Silver Airways, whose capacity was not replaced by the remaining carriers. American Airlines traffic also declined through mid-2026 before stabilizing in July.
Did Tallahassee pay Breeze Airways to fly to TLH? City officials confirmed a minimum revenue guarantee was part of the negotiation, funded through a $10 million, 15-year air-service incentive program approved by the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency and the City Commission.
Does Tallahassee International Airport have international flights? No scheduled international passenger service. The “international” designation dates to 2015 and reflects a federal customs facility for cargo and charter flights.
Methodology
The TLH Airport Scorecard assembles the City of Tallahassee’s monthly Passenger Traffic Report (total passengers and carrier breakdown), as compiled and published by Tallahassee Reports; FAA annual enplanement and passenger statistics; the Office of Economic Vitality’s airport traffic dashboard; airline route announcements from the City of Tallahassee and Breeze Airways; and City Commission and Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency records on air-service incentives. Trailing 12-month totals are as reported by the City’s annualized series. Carrier-share and ex-Breeze growth figures are Florida Authority Network calculations from reported monthly totals and Breeze’s reported July passenger count. Route and frequency information is as announced and subject to seasonal change. Florida Authority Network does not independently audit airport counts and will note revisions in subsequent editions.
Sources and Resources
- Tallahassee Reports, “Airport Passenger Traffic Ends 15 Month Descent, Breeze Moves July Numbers,” August 20, 2026 — https://tallahasseereports.com/2026/08/20/airport-passenger-traffic-ends-15-month-decent-breeze-moves-july-numbers/
- Tallahassee Reports, “Airport Passenger Traffic Down 5.4% in June,” July 27, 2026 — https://tallahasseereports.com/2026/07/27/airport-passenger-traffic-down-5-4-in-june/
- WCTV, “New airline aims to boost travel at Tallahassee International Airport as passenger traffic trends down,” June 3, 2026 — https://www.wctv.tv/2026/06/03/new-airline-aims-boost-travel-tallahassee-international-airport-passenger-traffic-trends-down/
- WCTV, “Breeze Airways set to take off from Tallahassee with nonstop flights,” February 24, 2026 — https://www.wctv.tv/2026/02/24/an-exciting-step-forward-breeze-airways-set-take-off-tallahassee-with-nonstop-flights/
- City of Tallahassee, “Breeze Airways Launching New Tallahassee Service with Two Nonstops” (release) — https://www.talgov.com/uploads/public/documents/airport/TLH_FLL_RDU.pdf
- Tallahassee Reports, “Breeze Airways Launches New Nonstop Flights from Tallahassee,” July 3, 2026 — https://tallahasseereports.com/2026/07/03/breeze-airways-launch-new-nonstop-flights-from-tallahassee/
- WFSU, “Breeze Airways is coming to Tallahassee,” February 24, 2026 — https://news.wfsu.org/wfsu-local-news/2026-02-24/breeze-airways-is-coming-to-tallahassee
- Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality, Airport Traffic Statistics — https://oevforbusiness.org/data-center/interactive-data/tallahassee-regional-airport-traffic-statistics/
- Tallahassee International Airport (City of Tallahassee) — https://www.talgov.com/airport/airport
- FAA, Passenger Boarding (Enplanement) Data — https://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/passenger_allcargo_stats/passenger
Related coverage across the Florida Authority Network: FloridaTourismNews (statewide airport traffic), JacksonvilleBusinessNews and PensacolaBusinessNews airport scorecards, FlFinancialNews (airline and aviation sector).
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