By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Start-up low-cost U.S. airline Breeze Airways on Friday said it would begin service next week, focusing on flights between smaller U.S. cities that don’t have direct service from larger carriers.
The airline is founded by David Neeleman, his fifth commercial airline start-up including JetBlue and Canada’s WestJet.
Breeze, which originally went under the launch name Moxy, is beginning service as U.S. air travel demand hits new post-pandemic highs and is focusing on leisure travelers ready to exit months of working at home during COVID-19.
Breeze will have 39 nonstop routes between 16 cities by July. The first flights will operate between Charleston, South Carolina; Tampa, Florida; and Hartford, Conneticutt starting May 27.
Neeleman notes 95% of Breeze’s routes have no nonstop airline service, arguing larger airlines will not be able to undercut Breeze.
“If I’m charging $39, are they going to charge no dollars and fly you through a hub?” Neeleman asked in an interview. “People focus on fares, but it is equally important to have a convenient flight, where you can get there in an hour instead of three hours.”
Neeleman said with more Americans working remotely, they can live near smaller airports and still have options for direct flights.
Neeleman vows Breeze will be “the nicest airline in the world” and fares include both “Nice” or “Nicer” seats with extra legroom.
Breeze said in a filing with U.S. regulators that “by flying a smaller aircraft with a lower trip cost, there are hundreds and hundreds of city pairs that can support a nonstop flight.”
It aims to focus on underserved U.S. cities starting with 13 older Embraer 190/195 jets, some inherited from Brazil’s Azul, another Neeleman venture.
Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Breeze will focus on Tampa, Charleston, New Orleans, and Norfolk, Virginia. It will serve other cities like Louisville, Kentucky; Tulsa, Oklahoma and Akron, Ohio, and fly three or four flights a week on most routes.
Breeze will take delivery of 60 new Airbus A220s, beginning in October, at a rate of about one per month for five years. Longer A220 flight routes will be announced this fall.
(Reporting by David Shepardson. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
