VERO BEACH — The more commercial flights Elite Airways adds at Vero Beach Regional Airport, the better business gets at C.J. Cannon’s Restaurant & Lounge.
“When they first started, people would come in for coffee, maybe a muffin or bagel,” said Pat Cannon, co-owner of the popular, 32-year-old restaurant located in the airport terminal. “Now we’re getting more people eating breakfast before they get on the plane.
“They added the extra flights on Fridays and Mondays, and we had more than 25 extra people come in for breakfast last Monday,” she added. “We’re also getting people who come in for a late lunch or drinks when their flights arrive in the afternoon. So it’s been really good for business.
“Let’s hope they stay.”
After a nearly 20-year absence, commercial air service returned to the Vero Beach airport in December, when Elite began offering two flights per week — on Thursdays and Sundays — to and from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
In February, Elite added round-trip service on those same days to Naples.
Then, earlier this month, Elite cited increased demand when it announced the addition of Friday and Monday flights to and from Newark, though only through April 1.
Elite president John Pearsall said Vero Beach’s response to its service has “more than exceeded our expectations,” adding that the airline is considering the possibility of adding more flights and destinations this summer.
“We’d welcome it,” Cannon said. “A lot of people who’ve come in for these flights have told us they didn’t even know we were here. Some of them have asked about our dinners and said they’d be back. So it’s more than just a breakfast thing.
“It’s too soon to say how much of an impact the flights are having, but, hopefully, they’ll keep adding them,” she added. “When people eat here once, they usually want to come back.”