David Neeleman's new start-up Breeze Airways (MX, Salt Lake City) has confirmed it plans to launch by the end of 2020 initially serving secondary cities in the United States with no direct connections at this time.
"Breeze will fly non-stop service between places currently without meaningful or affordable service. 20 years ago, we brought humanity back to the airline industry with JetBlue Airways (B6, New York JFK). Today, we’re excited to introduce plans for the World’s Nicest Airline," CEO and President David Neeleman said.
The airline has already commenced certification but will not announce any routes before obtaining its AOC and OL. Once certification is completed and sales have launched, Breeze Airways intends to start flying within 60 days.
Breeze has ordered sixty A220-300s with deliveries starting in April 2021 and plans to sublease up to twenty-eight E195s from Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras (AD, São Paulo Viracopos), Neeleman's Brazilian airline. The Embraer regional jets will start delivering in May 2020. The final number of E195s subleased from Azul depends on whether LOT Polish Airlines exercises its priority option; if it confirms all fourteen of them, Breeze will only be able to take 21 aircraft.
The start-up has yet to unveil more specific details of its business plan, although Neeleman shared some information in an interview with the Cranky Flier blog. In it, he said that the airline was looking at some 500 city pairs, including potential flights to Hawaii, Europe, and South America.
Neeleman clarified that the E195s will be used mostly on shorter routes, up to 2-2.5 hours, as well as for charters, while the A220s could be used to operate trans- and intercontinental routes. Breeze Airways plans to retain both types going forward. The airline's network will mimic the strategy of Allegiant Air with its focus on point-to-point services and, at least initially, will be largely leisure-oriented with frequencies not exceeding daily.
The airline plans to have premium class in its aircraft, although it also wants to retain flexibility and be able to quickly convert the aircraft to an all-economy configuration.
Breeze Airways does not plan to cooperate with any airlines in the US, although it could do so on international routes. Neeleman named Azul in Brazil and TAP Air Portugal in Portugal as potential partners.
