SALT LAKE CITY — Breeze Airways, founded by JetBlue’s David Neelman, was supposed to launch in 2020, but for obvious reasons, the schedule was pushed back. However, with the pandemic having taken a backseat, Breeze Airways flights went on sale May 21, 2021, on flybreeze.com and via the new Breeze mobile app.
“It’s safe to say that adding Breeze to the trade show travel options will have a significant impact,” said Gareth Edmondson-Jones, spokesperson for Breeze Airways. “Trade show attendees, like leisure travellers, prefer to travel non-stop for less. By flying non-stop instead of via hubs, Breeze gets you to your destination in half the time for half the price.”
Louisville will be one of the airline’s first launch cities, and Breeze will offer year-round nonstop flights to Charleston, South Carolina, New Orleans and Tampa from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.
In June, Louisville reached nearly 100% of pre-pandemic travel levels, while national capacity is still down 20%. “We are thrilled to welcome Breeze Airways to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport,” said Cleo Battle, COO of Louisville Tourism, adding that the launch of this new air service is perfectly timed to attract this summer’s leisure travelers, connecting Louisville directly to Charleston, New Orleans and Tampa. “We appreciate Breeze Airways’ commitment to Louisville and anticipate this new air service will be a building block in Louisville’s tourism recovery.”
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But with an aviation market already crowded before the pandemic, what does Breeze propose to make it different and sustainable?
With 16 cities across the country, Breeze Airways is Neeleman’s fifth airline launch. Based in Salt Lake City, the airline plans to provide low-cost, point-to-point service between markets it considers underserved. This includes routes between mid-sized cities that currently lack nonstop flights, as well as flights to and from secondary airports in the regions. As Neeleman described it in a press release, according to CNN, “Breeze will provide nonstop service between locations that currently lack meaningful or affordable service.”
And technology will be at the heart of its concerns; Neeleman even described the company as “a technology company that flies airplanes.”
The passenger experience of Breeze Airways’ low-cost carrier will include:
- No seatback entertainment, but Breeze will offer streaming entertainment and Wi-Fi; the airline just entered into a definitive agreement with Anuvu to provide wireless IFE (W-IFE) services on its E195 and E190 fleets, with the vendor receiving the STC for its Airtime IFE Pro hardware from the FAA in early May.
- The airline is moving forward with the introduction of a premium cabin on board its Airbus A220s. This cabin will be similar to that of a domestic first class product, with the first Airbus A220-300 set to arrive at Breeze Airways in October.
- As a low-cost carrier, Breeze plans to charge for everything from seat selection to carry-on baggage in addition to the base fare.
Contact Gareth Edmondson-Jones gareth.edmondsonjones@flybreeze.com or (917) 399-9355; contact Rosanne Mastin at rmastin@gotolouisville.com or (502) 560.1480