Budget travelers, rejoice: Low-cost carrier Breeze Airways recently announced the addition of 13 airports and 25 routes throughout the United States for 2024, with “lots more to come,” according to airline spokesperson Gareth Edmondson-Jones. Many of the new routes and airports feature introductory airfares, some beginning as low as $59 each way.
And the new offerings aren’t just for the cost-conscious. The airline is also increasing and enhancing its premium seating options with its new Breeze Ascent, a first-class cabin in the carrier’s new Airbus A220-300 aircraft.
When the new service launches in May 2024, Breeze Airways will fly 150 routes between 49 cities in 27 states, primarily to smaller cities in the southern and northeastern United States, but with a growing presence in the West—including San Diego, which is among the new airports Breeze has added to its network. This is an impressive expansion for an airline that launched less than three years ago in May 2021.
Where is Breeze flying to next? In January, the airline announced new flight service from the following 13 cities, with routes beginning by May 2024:
- Burlington, Vermont
- Denver, Colorado
- Evansville, Indiana
- Grand Junction, Colorado
- Greenville/Spartanburg, South Carolina
- Gulfport/Biloxi, Mississippi
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Mobile, Alabama
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- Ogden, Utah
- San Diego, California
- Stewart/Newburg, New York
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania
San Diego will be the airline’s fifth California destination, adding to existing operations in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Bernardino, and San Francisco. Breeze Airways’ new San Diego nonstop routes include the debut of routes for the hub to Cincinnati, Jacksonville, Norfolk, Raleigh-Durham, and Pittsburgh.
San Diego International Airport is Breeze’s fifth California hub.
Photo by Andres Garcia/Unsplash
Breeze Airways adds 25 new routes for 2024
The 25 new routes the airline has announced in 2024 include round-trip service along the following flight paths, some of which are seasonal-only:
- Burlington—Tampa, Florida
- Burlington—Orlando, Florida
- Burlington—Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
- Greenville-Spartanburg—Providence, Rhode Island
- Greenville-Spartanburg—Tampa
- Greenville-Spartanburg—Los Angeles, California
- Greenville-Spartanburg—Orlando
- Hartford, Connecticut—Myrtle Beach, Florida
- Hartford—Greenville Spartanburg
- Los Angeles—Akron, Ohio
- Los Angeles—Madison, Wisconsin
- Los Angeles—Charleston, South Carolina
- Orlando—Mobile, Alabama
- Providence—Denver
- Raleigh Durham—Syracuse, New York
- Raleigh Durham—Portland, Maine
- San Diego—Raleigh-Durham
- San Diego—Jacksonville, Florida
- San Diego—Norfolk, Virginia
- San Diego—Cincinnati, Ohio
- San Diego—Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- San Diego—Providence
- San Diego—Hartford
- Tampa—Orange County-Santa Ana, California
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton—Orlando
Introductory fares begin at $59 for flights booked by February 5 for travel through September.
Breeze Airways is the fifth airline startup created by David Neeleman, the founder of JetBlue Airways. The airline has boasted that it can get you to your destination “in half the time, at half the price,” given that Breeze focuses on smaller airports that typically lack nonstop service to many destinations.
The airline hopes to attract passengers and disrupt industry norms with additional offerings such as no change or cancellation fees for flight changes made up to 15 minutes before departure, free seat selection for family seating, and an “à la carte” pricing model with bundled features including checked luggage and upgraded seating. Passengers can choose between “Nice,” “Nicer” and “Nicest” ticket packages, expanding options beyond those typically seen from competing low-cost, no-frills airlines.
In addition to introducing new routes and destinations, Breeze is expanding its fleet. The airline plans to take delivery of a “new Airbus A220 every month or so,” according to Edmondson-Jones, enabling Breeze to increase flight service to meet demand and tackle new markets. The new Airbus A220-300 planes are being outfitted with the new Breeze Ascent first-class cabin (what Breeze refers to as its “Nicest” class in its seating and pricing model), with newly designed seats, a wider 2-2 seat configuration, complimentary snacks and alcoholic beverages, and priority boarding. With its premium offering, Breeze arguably elevates its profile beyond that of a standard low-cost carrier. (We recently reviewed what it’s like flying in first class with Breeze.)
Whether or not you choose to upgrade, Breeze Airways’ aggressive push onto the U.S. airline stage with new airports and low fares stands to benefit all fliers. As demonstrated in the blocked Spirit Airways–JetBlue merger court decision, a similar “Spirit effect” occurs when a low-cost carrier enters a new market. The discount airline—Breeze, in this case—puts downward pricing pressure on airfares across the board. Current flight deals on the Breeze website feature one-way fares as low as $30 in some markets.
