Arnold Palmer Regional Airport preparing to hire staff for new Breeze Airways service

A new airline is getting ready to take off at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe, Westmoreland County, and preparations are already underway.

Breeze Airways is expected to begin offering direct flights to Myrtle Beach and Orlando next year. But before those planes take off, the airport has to staff up.

It has been nearly a month since Breeze Airways announced plans to begin offering weekly nonstop flights to South Carolina and Florida from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. With less than four months until the airline's first flight leaves Latrobe for Myrtle Beach, plenty of work still needs to be done.

Airport executive director Maurice "Moe" Haas says the airport is looking to fill several new positions to support Breeze's operations.

"Above wing and below wing, personnel. Below wing, they require four people, and above wing, they require three people," Haas said.

Haas says the airport is looking to fill approximately 14 new part-time positions to service Breeze flights, with hopes of having those employees on board by January. He says that number could grow as the airline's presence at the airport expands.

Breeze has signed a two-year agreement with the airport, with an option to extend. 

The airline will also benefit from a newly completed terminal when it begins service to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Feb. 9, with fares starting as low as $49 one way. Flights to Orlando, Florida, are scheduled to begin May 26, with fares starting at $59 one way.

Haas also told KDKA-TV that the first three flights to Myrtle Beach are already sold out, with seats on other flights filling quickly. He says if the service proves successful, Breeze could expand its operations at Arnold Palmer, potentially creating even more job opportunities.

"Everybody is all excited about it," Haas said. "Just getting all our ducks in a row, talking with the Breeze people about the de-icing services, about the equipment and bringing the people back. It's rolling."

While the airport does not yet have an official hiring page available, anyone interested in working at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport can contact the airport office at (724) 539-8100 or email info@palmerairport.com.

To book a flight with Breeze online, the airline's website can be found here.