Breeze will move entirely to Airbus A220s and buy more jets; adds 50th city

21.02.2024 - 13:56 / thepointsguy.com / David Neeleman / Airlines

Breeze Airways, the not-so-new-anymore startup airline by JetBlue founder David Neeleman, is moving to its next phase.

The airline plans to begin operating all of its scheduled flights on its fleet of Airbus A220 aircraft by the end of the year, Neeleman said Tuesday, discontinuing service on its small fleet of secondhand Embraer E190/195 jets.

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Marking the news, the airline announced a sale offering 20% off all round-trip base fares booked directly with the airline. To apply the discount, use the code "A220" at checkout by 11:59 p.m. Pacific time Wednesday for travel between March 6 and Sept. 3.

Breeze took delivery of its first A220 in December 2021, and currently has 22 of the type in its fleet and expects to take delivery of 10 more through 2024. The airline announced Tuesday that it had exercised 10 purchase right options, bringing its total order of A220-300s to 90 airplanes with 30 options remaining.

Breeze began service in May 2021, using the small fleet of Embraer regional jets leased from Azul Brazilian Airlines — which Neeleman also founded — to fly routes shorter than two hours while the airline awaited its first A220s. The airline uses a point-to-point operating model that aims to operate nonstop flights between smaller markets that do not otherwise have direct air connectivity.

With the A220s, Breeze has touted its ability to economically fly long, thin routes — those with longer distances but without enough demand to make such a route sustainable using a traditional larger narrow-body jet like the Airbus A320 or the Boeing 737.

As part of Tuesday's news, Breeze announced that it would add Coastal Carolina Regional Airport (EWN) in New Bern, North Carolina, as its 50th destination, with service from Bradley International Airport (BDL) near Hartford, Connecticut, and Orlando International Airport (MCO) in Florida.

The airline also announced a new route between Huntsville International Airport (HSV) in Alabama and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) beginning June 14.

The A220s entered service in May 2022, featuring Breeze's first-class seats and customized cabin, along with a longer range of 3,600 nautical miles, long enough to connect any two cities in the contiguous U.S.

Initially, the new jets did not have onboard connectivity, although the airline began retrofitting them later in 2022. By early in the second quarter, the entire fleet will have Wi-Fi and streaming entertainment, Neeleman said Tuesday.

While purchasing new A220s adds significant capital expenses for the company, the jets are 25% more fuel efficient, offering favorable operating costs.

Still, Breeze appears to have struggled