Breeze Airways is Now Open for Business

New ultra low-cost carrier Breeze Airways is now open, selling tickets and preparing for its first flights before the end of May.

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Airline magnate David Neeleman is ready to go with his latest project. Breeze Airways is now open for business, with a goal toward being “seriously nice” and offering ultra low fares. The airline is selling tickets now for as little as $39, and its first passenger flights will take off starting May 27th.

It seems like the worst time to start an airline, with the world only just beginning to recover from a pandemic. But Breeze Airways isn’t even the year’s first start-up airline. In April, Avelo Airlines debuted with its promise of “Surprisingly Low Fares, Refreshingly Smooth Travel.” Avelo is running flights out of Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), in the Los Angeles area, and has plans to open an East Coast hub at Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN) in Connecticut.

Breeze Airways is One to Watch

I don’t get too excited about start-up airlines. Most are underfunded and struggle to succeed. But Breeze Airways bears a closer look. This is Neeleman’s fifth start-up airline, and his track record is one of unparalleled success. Previous start-ups include Canada’s WestJet, Brazil’s Azul, JetBlue and Morris Air. Three of these four still exist, while Southwest Airlines eventually purchased Morris Air. In this latest project, Neeleman is focusing on underserved routes and mid-sized cities. Breeze Airways says that 95% of its new routes are currently not served with non-stop service. Thus, there won’t be much overlap with the bigger and more established carriers. And that should allow Breeze Airways to find a niche with its “Seriously Nice” approach to flying.

The First 16 Destinations

Just three routes will be up and running before Memorial Day 2021. Charleston-Tampa and Charleston-Hartford will be the first two Breeze Airways routes, available starting May 27th. One day later, Louisville will see service from both Charleston and Tampa. Breeze Airways will open a few more routes in June, but most of the remaining routes will begin service in July.

In total, Breeze Airways intends to launch with 16 destinations. Most routes will be centered around four focus cities: New Orleans, Charleston, Tampa, and Norfolk. But the airline plans to be more of a point-to-point airline, and the route network reflects that.

Here are the cities the new airline will serve and the non-stop destinations available from each:

Focus Cities

• Charleston (CHS) — Louisville, Akron/Canton, Columbus, Norfolk, Richmond, Tampa, New Orleans, Huntsville, Hartford, Pittsburgh, Providence.
• Tampa (TPA) — Charleston, Louisville, Tulsa, Norfolk, Bentonville/Fayetteville, Akron/Canton, Oklahoma City, Columbus, Huntsville, Richmond.
• New Orleans (MSY) — Charleston, Louisville, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Akron/Canton, Columbus, Norfolk, Richmond, Bentonville/Fayetteville, Huntsville.
• Norfolk (ORF) — New Orleans, Tampa, Charleston, Columbus, Hartford, Pittsburgh, Providence.

Additional Cities

• Columbus (CMH) — New Orleans, Tampa, Charleston, Norfolk, Hartford.
• Pittsburgh (PIT) — Charleston, Norfolk, Hartford, Providence.
• Hartford (BDL) — Charleston, Norfolk, Columbus, Pittsburgh.
• San Antonio (SAT) — Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Bentonville/Fayetteville.
• Oklahoma City (OKC) — Tampa, New Orleans, San Antonio.
• Tulsa (TUL) — Tampa, New Orleans, San Antonio.
• Akron/Canton (CAK) — New Orleans, Tampa, Charleston.
• Providence (PVD) — Charleston, Pittsburgh, Norfolk.
• Bentonville/Fayetteville (VBT) — Tampa, New Orleans, San Antonio.
• Huntsville (HSV) — New Orleans, Tampa, Charleston.
• Louisville (SDF) — New Orleans, Tampa, Charleston.
• Richmond (RIC) — New Orleans, Tampa, Charleston.

Three Fare Types: Nice, Nicer, and (Coming Soon) Nicest

Nice

Now that Breeze Airways is open and selling tickets, we can quickly see that the airline will follow the model of ultra low-cost carriers. Think Frontier Airlines, where your ticket buys you a seat and little else. Breeze has named its lowest fares “nice,” and they are bare bones. If you have a standard checked (up to 50 lbs.) or carry-on bag, you’ll pay $20 extra ($25 for flights longer than 3 hours) when you pay for those bags online. You’ll spend $50 per bag if you pay the baggage fee at the airport, or with an agent.

Seat selection is anywhere from $10-$30 extra. But you can skip that part of the booking process and just take whatever the airline assigns at check-in. I like to know where I’m sitting, so I’ll usually pay up. To give families peace of mind, the airline offers free Family Seating with kids 12 and under, so you can keep them close.

Nicer

Breeze calls its next fare class “Nicer.” Before writing this article, I booked a trip between New Orleans (MSY) and Richmond (RIC). The “Nice” fare was $39 each way, while the “Nicer” fare was $84 — a difference of $45. The extra cash guarantees a seat near the front of the plane, and more legroom. The seat pitch with a “Nice” fare is 29-31 inches, but it’s 33-39 inches in the “Nicer” section up front. It’s worth noting that customers can pick a bare bones “Nice” fare and still purchase a more-legroom seat. If you don’t have any carry-on or checked bags (just a personal item), this would be the cheaper option. If you have luggage, though, you’ll save money with the bundled “Nicer” fare.

The “Nicer” fare also includes a complimentary drink and snack, priority boarding, and twice as many points in the airline’s loyalty program. Keep reading for more on BreezePoints.

Nicest

Breeze Airways will eventually fly the Airbus A220. The airline reportedly has 80 of these jets on order, more than any airline in the world except for Delta and JetBlue. Breeze will configure the A220 cabins with a business class section, which the airline will sell as its “Nicest” fare class. But for now, Breeze will launch with a fleet of 13 Embraer E190 and E195 jets in a single-cabin configuration.

Regardless of fare type, customers can cancel their flights up to 15 minutes beforehand without fees. The airline will deposit flight credits into the customer’s account, with an expiration date 24 months later.

The Sweet Spot on Breeze Airways Baggage Fees

If you’re traveling with a lot of luggage, Breeze Airways will let you fly with up to 3 bags at $20 each. That’s even better than Southwest, which allows you to fly two bags for free. But that third bag on Southwest costs a whopping $75. I personally recommend traveling light; but if you must, it’s nice to have a low-cost option on that third piece of luggage.

BreezePoints: The Breeze Airways Loyalty Program

Breeze Airways has a fairly simple loyalty program, called BreezePoints. It is a revenue-based program, meaning the points you earn are dependent upon the amount you spend. Customers earn points based on a percentage of their base fare and qualified optional services — like seat selection and baggage fees. Each point is worth a penny, so 500 points is the same as $5.00 in airline credit.

When I signed up with the airline and downloaded its app, they quietly deposited 500 points in my account. And when I booked that flight to Richmond, the airline automatically applied those points and deducted $5.00 from the total fare. If you want to hang on to your points, simply edit the amount of BreezePoints you are applying toward the purchase at check-out.

BreezePoints are valid for 24 months after being earned.

Final Thoughts

Breeze Airways is now open, and I’ve already booked a flight. I am genuinely curious to see how this airline does. Will it find a niche in a crowded landscape? Will an airline that (at least for now) actively bypasses the largest U.S. markets successfully build a unique route network focusing on mid-size cities? David Neeleman says that the airline is looking into 100 more secondary markets that need non-stop flights.

The airline looks a lot like an ultra low-cost carrier, but those smaller markets are its real focus. By offering low-cost flights between them, the airline will create demand. Neeleman is impressed with another airline’s success in creating demand with low fares and direct flights. While discussing ultra low-cost carrier Allegiant Airlines, he told USA Today: “They go into a market where five people a day are traveling between a route, and the next thing you know there’s 100 people….” So Breeze Airways may be competing less against other airlines, and more against staying at home. When it costs as little as $39 to visit another city, it’s tempting to buy a ticket and go.

If that’s where Breeze Airways is heading, then I wish them all the success in the world. We’ll keep you posted on this airline, and I’ll write a trip review following my flight to/from Richmond in mid-July. Stay tuned.