Breeze unveils 7 new cities and 14 new routes

08.11.2023 - 18:55 / thepointsguy.com / David Neeleman / Myrtle Beach

Breeze Airways' route map is set for a major overhaul.

The startup carrier announced seven new airports Wednesday as part of a broader 14-route expansion.

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The new airports being added:

The destinations expand Breeze's reach across a large swath of the nation.

Among the most interesting additions:

Breeze's expansion is a boon for SWF. The airport is about 60 miles north of New York City but has struggled to hold on to traditional airline service. Currently, SWF is only served by Allegiant's flights to a handful of beach destinations, by Play flights to Iceland and by Atlantic Airways flights to the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic.

Breeze will fly from Stewart to Charleston, South Carolina, and Orlando, giving the airport one new destination (Charleston) and the possibility for a few connections.

Stewart also beefs up Breeze's presence in the greater New York City area. It already flies from the Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) east of the city and from Westchester County Airport (HPN) north of the city.

News of Breeze's expansion to the city comes just a week after JetBlue announced it would leave the airport after nearly two decades of service there. Breeze's flights to Orlando and Tampa won't backfill all of the connecting opportunities JetBlue offers via its New York hub. However, the outgoing and incoming carriers do share one link: They were each founded by serial airline entrepreneur David Neeleman.

It's no surprise that a leisure-focused airline like Breeze might look to the beach and golf resort of Myrtle Beach. It will become one of few airports outside Florida to be served by both Breeze and fellow startup Avelo. With service to Providence, Tampa and Charleston, West Virginia, the airlines won't compete head-to-head on any routes from Myrtle Beach — at least not for now.

Small airports like the Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport in northeast Pennsylvania have struggled to maintain airline service this decade. They certainly don't often land new services on startup budget carriers, but that's what's happening at AVP now. Breeze will become just the third airline to serve the airport (alongside American and United), and its flights to Orlando will become the longest regularly scheduled service there.

Breeze will end its nonstop service between Tampa and Charleston, West Virginia. However, Breeze will still serve Tampa from Charleston via a one-stop "BreezeThru" service with its new route from the West Virginia capital to Myrtle Beach; it will continue on to Tampa.

A full list of the new routes is below:

Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport (BTV)

Charleston International Airport