Breeze Airways

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Breeze Aviation Group, Inc.
Breeze Airways.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
MX MXY MOXY[1]
FoundedJuly 31, 2018; 3 years ago (2018-07-31)[2]
(as Moxy Airways)
Commenced operationsMay 27, 2021
AOC #BAGA439Q[3]
Focus cities
Frequent-flyer programBreezePoints
Fleet size13
Destinations16
HeadquartersCottonwood Heights, Utah, United States[2]
Key people
Websitehttps://www.flybreeze.com

Breeze Aviation Group, Inc., trading as Breeze Airways, is an American airline headquartered in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. The airline was founded by David Neeleman, who previously co-founded Morris Air, WestJet, JetBlue, and Azul Linhas Aereas.[4] Breeze's operations launched on May 27, 2021, with its inaugural flight from Tampa International Airport to Charleston International Airport.

History[]

In June 2018, Neeleman planned for the establishment of a new United States airline under the tentative name "Moxy Airways",[5] with capital from former Air Canada CEO Robert Milton, former ILFC CEO Henri Courpron, former JetBlue Chairman of the Board Michael Lazarus, and himself.[4] They perceived that due to consolidation, all 11 major carriers in the country were profitable and had existed 20 years ago (except JetBlue, which Neeleman had co-founded in 2000) and that there was space for a new airline competitor.[4] They also determined that the country's four largest airlines carried 80% of domestic US seats in 2017,[6][7] and that due to the loss of service to smaller markets, US domestic air capacity had remained stagnant from 2007 to 2017 while the economy had expanded by 34%.[8]

To fill this perceived gap, the airline planned to offer point-to-point flights from smaller, secondary airports such as T. F. Green Airport (Providence), Fort Worth Airport, or Burbank Airport, bypassing larger airline hubs for shorter travel times.[8] The airline was also reportedly considering longer distance flights to South America and Europe.[9] It would offer spacious seats and free Wi-Fi, like Azul and JetBlue, but charge fees for snacks and advance seat assignments, like ultra low-cost carriers Allegiant Air or Spirit Airlines.[8] For the launch of operations, 60 Airbus A220-300s (previously known as the Bombardier CS300) were ordered, soliciting Chinese lessors to finance 18 to be delivered from 2021 onward.[8] However, in order to accelerate the airline's launch, it initially planned to utilize secondhand Embraer E195 aircraft from Azul in order to launch as soon as 2020.[7]

On February 7, 2020, it was announced that the airline had officially been named Breeze Airways,[10][11] as the previous "Moxy" name clashed with Marriott's "Moxy Hotels" trademark.[12] The airline's branding, such as its logo, colors and aircraft livery, was developed by the Brazilian airline marketing specialist Gianfranco "Panda" Beting, Azul's co-founder, who was also responsible for creating the branding of Azul, TAP Air Portugal and Transbrasil.[13][14] Additionally, Neeleman expressed the view that the airline would be known as the "World’s Nicest Airline".[15] On February 20, 2020, the airline established its headquarters in Cottonwood Heights, Utah.[16]

Breeze had originally planned to begin operations sometime in 2020 through the acquisition of Compass Airlines, though the launch was later pushed back to 2021, with the acquisition being cancelled.[17][18] The airline received its first Embraer E195 on December 30, 2020,[19] and later its first E190 in February 2021,[20][21] with which the airline would use to launch short-haul, regional services prior to the induction of the Airbus A220-300 for longer flights.[22] On March 10, 2021, the airline received federal approval from the United States Department of Transportation to begin operations,[23] and was later issued its air operator's certificate on May 14, 2021.[24] The following week, Breeze began selling tickets on May 21, 2021 with flights planned to start on May 27, 2021.[25]

Destinations[]

Breeze Airways operates to the following destinations within the United States as of July 2021:[26]

State City Airport Notes Refs
Alabama Huntsville Huntsville International Airport [25]
Arkansas Fayetteville Northwest Arkansas National Airport [25]
Connecticut Hartford Bradley International Airport [25]
Florida Tampa Tampa International Airport Focus city [25]
Kentucky Louisville Louisville International Airport [25]
Louisiana New Orleans Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport Focus city [25]
Ohio Akron Akron–Canton Airport [25]
Columbus John Glenn Columbus International Airport [25]
Oklahoma Oklahoma City Will Rogers World Airport [25]
Tulsa Tulsa International Airport [25]
Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Pittsburgh International Airport [25]
Rhode Island Providence Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport [25]
South Carolina Charleston Charleston International Airport Focus city [25]
Texas San Antonio San Antonio International Airport [25]
Virginia Norfolk Norfolk International Airport Focus city
 [25]
Richmond Richmond International Airport [25]

Fleet[]

As of July 2021, the Breeze Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft:[27]

Breeze Airways fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
Airbus A220-300 — 80 TBA Deliveries to commence in October 2021[11]
Embraer E190 10[21] 6[20] 108[25] To be leased from Nordic Aviation Capital[20]

Former Air Canada aircraft

Embraer E195 3[19] 27 118[25] Former Azul aircraft[22]
Total 13 113

Fleet development[]

On July 17, 2018, the airline signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus for 60 A220-300 aircraft to be delivered from 2021,[28] with the order firmed in January 2019.[29] Following the airline's revised plans to launch operations before the delivery of its A220 aircraft, Breeze agreed to sublease up to 30 Embraer E195s from Azul in order to serve short-haul routes, although the total number received was dependent on LOT Polish Airlines exercising its lease options.[11] On April 26, 2021, it was announced that Breeze had ordered an additional 20 A220-300 aircraft, bringing its total orders up to 80 aircraft of the type.[30]

Services[]

Breeze had proposed intentions to offer both a low-cost and a first-class product, in contrast to the traditional all-economy business model of most low-cost carriers (LCCs). Proposals include some common LCC features such as a point-to-point route network, extra fees for additional services, and initially a single aircraft type, but the airline does not intend to operate a single cabin class of service.[9] Additionally, its aircraft would not feature seatback screens for its in-flight entertainment, instead opting to offer streaming of entertainment through personal electronic devices.[9]


In August 2021 Breeze announced plans for a no-frills "nice" ticket, and a "nicer" ticket type offering food, extra legroom and other amenity upgrades. The carrier announced regardless of the ticket customers have, passengers can change or cancel their flight at no additional cost.[31]

References[]

  1. ^ "JO 7340.565" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "BREEZE AVIATION GROUP, INC". OpenCorporates. February 21, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  3. ^ "Airline Certificate Information - Detail View". Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c "He's Baaaack: Stop what you're doing. JetBlue founder David Neeleman wants to launch a new U.S. airline". Airline Weekly. June 17, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  5. ^ Curley, Robert (June 22, 2018). "Jetblue founder plans "Moxy Airways"". Business Traveller. Panacea Media Limited. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  6. ^ Hemmerdinger, Jon (June 18, 2018). "Neeleman's reported US start-up could shake up US industry". FlightGlobal. DVV Media Group. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Curley, Robert (September 17, 2019). "'Moxy' airline to launch with used Azul aircraft". Business Traveller. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Bachman, Justin (June 18, 2018). "JetBlue Founder Raising Funds for New U.S. Airline, Report Says". Bloomberg News. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c "All of the Details We Have on David Neeleman's New Domestic Airline". Conde Nast Traveler. October 1, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  10. ^ Slotnick, David (February 7, 2020). "The founder of JetBlue just launched a new US airline, aimed at routes that others have left behind". Business Insider. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Neeleman's Breeze Airways officially announces 2020 launch". ch-aviation. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  12. ^ Yeo, Ghim-Lay (July 17, 2018). "Neeleman's start-up to partner Azul and TAP". FlightGlobal. DVV Media Group. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  13. ^ Rydlewski, Carlos (October 5, 2018). "Panda Beting: "A receita de sucesso da vida é trabalhar com o que se ama"" [Life's recipe for success is to work with what you love]. Pequenas Empresas & Grandes Negócios (in Portuguese). Grupo Globo. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  14. ^ Machado, João (February 7, 2020). "David Neeleman's Newest U.S. Airline Expects to Take Flight This Year". Airline Geeks. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  15. ^ Muther, Christopher (February 12, 2020). "A new, potentially industry-altering airline from the man who brought you JetBlue". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  16. ^ Davidson, Lee (February 20, 2020). "New Breeze Airways opens national headquarters in Utah". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  17. ^ Meier, Ricardo (August 19, 2020). "Breeze Airways again changes its debut plans". Air Data News. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  18. ^ "Utah's Breeze Airways delays launch to 2021". ch-aviation. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b Ahlgren, Linnea (January 5, 2021). "Breeze Takes Delivery Of Its First Embraer E190". Simple Flying.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b c "NAC delivers first of fifteen Embraer E190 to Breeze Airways on lease". Nordic Aviation Capital (Press release). Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b Hohnholz, Linda (February 2, 2021). "Breeze Airways takes delivery of Embraer E190 aircraft". eTurboNews. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b "Breeze Airways to use E190/5s for short-haul, A220s for long". ch-aviation. April 23, 2021.
  23. ^ Singh, Jay (March 10, 2021). "Breeze Airways Receives Federal Approval". Simple Flying. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  24. ^ "US's Breeze Airways secures AOC, preps for launch". ch-aviation. May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Gilbertson, Dawn (May 21, 2021). "New airline Breeze Airways takes off May 27 with $39 fares, no middle seats and nonstop flights to smaller cities". USA Today. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  26. ^ "Destinations". Breeze Airways. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  27. ^ "Breeze Airways Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. July 10, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  28. ^ "Future U.S. airline signs commitment for 60 A220-300 aircraft". Airbus (Press release). July 17, 2018.
  29. ^ "Breeze Airways Airline Profile". CAPA - Centre for Aviation. Informa Markets. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  30. ^ Ongaro, Andrea (April 26, 2021). "Breeze Airways to boost Airbus A220 order". Airways Magazine. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  31. ^ "Breeze Airways are Playing it Nice in the Aviation Game - Travel Radar". Travel Radar - Aviation News. August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.

Further reading[]

External links[]

Media related to Breeze Airways at Wikimedia Commons

Retrieved from ""