Denver Air Connection will launch its first-ever service to Florida, and it will be outside the scope of any Essential Air Service (EAS) contract. The only other place in the carrier’s network that isn’t directly part of an EAS contract is its service to Telluride, Colorado, from both Denver and Phoenix.
Beginning January 9, 2027, DAC will begin nonstop flights from Muskegon, Michigan, to Orlando Sanford, with service operating on Saturdays using the 50-seat Embraer E145XR.
While Muskegon itself only has one other destination, Chicago O’Hare, which is also operated by DAC under the EAS contract, DAC will compete indirectly with Allegiant, as it has a sizable operation and a base in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which is located only about 45 minutes east of Muskegon.
The 1,030-mile route from Muskegon to Orlando Sanford on the E145 will become the longest at-risk flight operated by any EAS carrier, and one of the longest commercial airline flights operated by an Embraer E145 in the country, overtaking the current record holder, United’s 830-mile route from Washington Dulles to Mobile, Alabama, by almost 200 miles.
That record for the E145 is a little bit of a technicality, as JSX does operate a handful of flights over 1,000 miles with its Embraer E145s, but the carrier is not considered a commercial airline, and is instead classified as a “public charter operation.”
Muskegon Airport director Ken Efting did have something to say about this new service: “This is a historic milestone for MKG and the communities we serve…This is exactly the kind of opportunity we’ve been working toward, and it’s a testament to our growing community support and strong partnership with Denver Air Connection.”
This isn’t the first time an EAS carrier has operated at-risk service to the state of Florida from an EAS community. These smaller carriers sometimes begin flights to leisure destinations like Florida and other leisure-heavy destinations to entice higher passenger numbers that boost the communities they serve.
Muskegon will join the small but growing list of Essential Air Service communities that are now connected with nonstop flights to the state of Florida, but they will be the only EAS community in Michigan to have Florida flights.
