In an era when less is, well, less, Akron-Canton flyers are getting more out of their airlines.

The mid-size Ohio airport is a lot like the over-achieving lead character in the hit film Rudy: you don’t want to underestimate its heart.

Here’s what you can expect:

United Express launches a fourth daily Akron-Canton flight to Chicago June 9. The regional jet departs CAK at 3:49 p.m., arriving O’Hare at 4:17 p.m. The return Chicago flight to Akron-Canton pushes back from the gate at ORD at 1:05 p.m., getting to CAK at 3:21 p.m.

Discount airline AirTran lays on a second-daily Akron-Canton flight to Boston come May 4 via a full-size jet. A third-daily Akron-Canton flight to Milwaukee begins May 1, via an AirTran/SkyWest partnership. A regional jet makes the run.

Delta is upgrading its Akron-Canton flights to Atlanta, substituting a 142-seat MD-88 for an older 120-seat DC-9 on its 7:00 a.m. nonstop to ATL.

Finally, Frontier Airlines is bringing back seasonal Akron-Canton flights to Denver on May 23. A 162-seat Airbus plies the Rocky Mountain route. It’s the largest aircraft to serve Akron-Canton on a regular basis.

Akron-Canton Airport has emerged over the last few years as a bit of a low-fare alternative (thanks to the presence of AirTran) to nearby Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, some 40 miles away. The people who run Akron-Canton market it to northeast Ohio flyers as “A Better Way to Go” in comparison to Cleveland.

Story by Jerry Chandler

(Image: OZinOH)