Adding secondary airports in densely populated areas such as Westchester County and Long Island, New York, and Provo south of Salt Lake City is proving to be another rich opportunity. These routes have proven to be the most successful, with Hartford and Charleston leading the pack. He points to transcontinental and longer-haul connectivity to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Phoenix from smaller markets that have never had such services, such as Akron, Ohio Charleston, South Carolina Fort Myers, Florida Hartford, Connecticut Providence, Rhode Island and Richmond, Virginia. The fares are up significantly, and for the traveling public that’s trying to get between two midsize cities, there’s just not as many options.” “That elimination and reduction of service to smaller communities gives us the potential to stimulate new demand that’s higher even than before. “In 2022, regional departures were lower than mainline departures at the legacies for the first time ever,” Johnson notes. Slower deliveries of the U.S.-built A220s and some quality control issues with the aircraft have also been constraints.īut ever the opportunistic contrarian, Breeze is benefiting from major carriers’ shift away from regional flying, which plays right into its sweet spot. It is “the stuff everyone is facing,” he says. Germinating before and during the pandemic, the airline has faced many unexpected challenges, Johnson concedes, such as the higher-priced, tighter labor environment-particularly for pilots-and supply chain issues. The vast majority of Breeze’s hub-bypassing, point-to-point nonstops have had no direct competition. The A220 is able to connect small and medium-size cities with larger city-pairs, particularly on long/thin routes such as transcontinental ones, that have never had that service before. “We built the airline around a unique plane that gives us unique opportunities,” he asserts. The company’s bundled approach to segmentation with its “Nice,” “Nicer” and “Nicest” branded fares large premium cabin offering for the price of economy class and a digital-only approach to reservations, merchandising and customer service are just a few ways in which the company is a disruptor as much as it is a discounter.īreeze Chief Commercial Officer Lukas Johnson tells Aviation Week that the original premise of the airline remains the same. “Breeze is a tech company that happens to fly airplanes,” Neeleman says. Market-stimulating low fares and low costs are about all Breeze has in common with other cost-cutting carriers. With its contrarian founder and business model, the ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) could be considered the un-ULCC. Regional markets may offer opportunities.Operational and financial hurdles marked the carrier’s first year.Provo, Utah-based Breeze was the most privately capitalized airline startup, attracting $287 million in three rounds of financing leading up to its launch. The high-profile David Neeleman startup is confronting a mix of headwinds and tailwinds. Its inaugural flight was from Tampa to Charleston, South Carolina.įrom February through June, Breeze has flown 29,854 passengers in and out of Vero Beach on 151 flights, according to data provided by the airport.īreeze currently operates 58 nonstop routes in and out of Florida.Eighteen months after launching on May 27, 2021, Breeze Airways is sailing into its next phase of growth. Opinion: Breeze Airways, Vero Beach airport must address these issues after delay exposes problemsīreeze was founded in 2021 and is headquartered in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, near Salt Lake City. 2, filling the vacancy left by Elite Airways, who in June 2022, abruptly halted all traffic in and out of Vero.Ĭoming to VRB: Breeze Airways confirms it will begin Vero Beach service Feb. Who is Breeze Airways?īreeze began operations in Vero Beach on Feb. “We will see increased traffic, but we are set up and ready to handle it,” said Airport Director Todd Scher. The airport is anticipating no issues with the increased traffic. How will the airport handle the new traffic? “This is great for the city and offers more opportunities for people to come down, especially those looking to avoid Logan International Airport in Boston,” said Bob McCabe, chair of the Vero Beach Chamber of Commerce. The Vero Beach Chamber of Commerce anticipates the new flights from New England will mean an increase in tourism. View Gallery: breeze airways flight from white plains new york arrives in vero beach
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