After flying American Airlines out to Pittsburgh, I flew Breeze Airways back to Los Angeles in “Ascent” Class, its premium cabin, on an Airbus A220. While the experience was mostly positive, the aircraft was filthy…I don’t think I’ve ever been on a dirtier plane.
Breeze Airways A220 Ascent Class: My First Impressions
My boarding pass said that boarding would begin at 8:53 am for my 9:23 am departure. I showed up at the gate at 8:40 am, hoping to be among the first onboard so I could get some pictures, but found the gate area deserted…boarding had begun more than an hour prior to takeoff and was almost complete.
I asked the agents why my boarding indicated an 8:53 am boarding time, but was told, “Oh, they want us to board early. We always start much earlier than that.”
Good to know…maybe, Breeze, you just reflect the actual boarding time on your boarding pass?
The front-cabin on Breeze used to be called “Nicest” class but is now called Ascent. Breeze uses Airbus A220 aircraft with 2-2 seating in business class (same seat as my Bulgaria Airlines A220 flight last year).
I found the cabin very attractive: soft mood lighting and light colors work very well. The seat itself was also comfortable: I only got up once during the 5.5 hour flight (which took the full 5.5 hours).
While the service was not polished like you might expect in JetBlue Mint Class, the flight attendants were very nice and Tashae, who worked the Ascent cabin, was very attentive. I quite liked the more casual FA uniforms with white tennis shoes…it fits the carrier well.
There are no meals in Ascent Class: just a snack basket and complimentary beverages (including alcoholic beverages). Beverages are served in plastic.
You can also buy a snack box, but this is not included in Ascent Class:
Free high-speed Wi-Fi is available (free for Ascent Class) and it worked very well during the flight.
My ticket was only $311, which is an excellent price for a nonstop transcontinental flight in a business class seat. I’d choose it any day over my AA flight in the opposite direction, which cost $540 and another $28 for Wi-Fi and had a less comfortable seat that did not have USB-C.
Breeze does not appear to do a great job of monetizing the cabin, because it was only booked 7/12 (an eighth passenger, an off-duty FedEx employee, was upgraded just before we took off). It was certainly nice to have the seat next to me open, but I’d think that Breeze could probably sell these seats for some revenue on the day of departure if it tried a little harder.
But there was a problem on the flight…a needless problem, as far as I am concerned. The cabin was filthy. There was dust, dander, and trash all around the seat: on the tray table, between cushions, in storage areas, and on the floor. Does anyone ever do a deep clean of these aircraft? Apparently not (and I understand why…the flight did a 50-minute turn in LA going back to Pittsburgh…there was no time).
While I would not call it a dealbreaker, the cabin cleanliness was deplorable…such a stupid, penny-wise, pound-foolish mistake.
CONCLUSION
I was glad to try Breeze for the first time and, all things considered, was very thankful that I only paid $300 for a remarkably productive, comfortable flight between PIT and LAX.
There’s actually quite a bit more to share about the flight and I will eventually share a full review, but in short: friendly service, great value, but very dirty cabins…that was my first experience with Breeze.
Shame about the dirt, I flew the short lived LAX-HPN route when it launched and it was a clean and pleasant flight.
My first and to date only Breeze flight was also on a filthy airplane. I had thought it was a weird one-off at the time. Maybe not.
This is a level of filth I constantly forget to clean at home. So f them for not clearing it up.
The reason is because on-time performance takes top priority to an LCC. On time (or better yet, early) = money. And because of that, the cleaners (typically a contractor business) are typically not given enough time to do a decent cleaning. They literally have minutes to turn around an aircraft. I’m not excusing the filth because I agree it’s nasty. I’m just explaining why it’s the way it is.
But isn’t it possible to at least deep clean it overnight? MX doesn’t operate redeyes and the aircraft sits overnight every day…
Exactly. It’s always possible to do deep cleaning after hours.
Matthew,
Not exactly true on the “no red-eyes” assertion…
For example:
PHX-BDL leaving tomorrow night at 1030 pm, arriving Sunday at 620 am
Ok, there are exceptions. Looking at the LAX route, it appears the aircraft sits in Providence most nights.
May be really minor, but appreciate they carry Lesser Evil popcorn in the snack basket. Popped in coconut oil; so much healthier than other brands that use inflammatory seed oils.
Coconuts are the seeds of the coconut palm tree
Popcorn,,… lol ,… any wonder why the cabin is so filthy ? …..
The blame should be placed on the previous passengers. My seats are always left cleaner, without any trash, than when I boarded.
There was trash, but mostly dust. I don’t blame you for that.
Even though it’s a bargain, can’t they at least include a sandwich & free drinks in Ascent? To not is just plain cheesy. And as I am forced to take AA a lot, I’m pretty used to filthy cabins. That’s why I always pack Lysol wipes.
I think it would be a great value-add to add something like a cheese plate or sandwich…something like on the Porter E195:
https://liveandletsfly.com/porter-airlines-e195-e2-review/
Don’t particularly care for the ‘cheese’ selection ? … And Breeze is disappointed in your lack of cleaning quality with your wipes !
Flying around with filth costs money
Looks nice. 5.5h is a long flight with just a snack basket, but if I’m eating junk food, then I definitely want Zapps and Gardettos. So much better than the new age garbage on the big 3. I’m curious, though, if they’re really a disruptor. It’s basically MCE/C+ with free bags of chips and WiFi. I’d like to try them, but on a shorter route.
Sorry but no airline will be spot free when so many customers are usually a culprit with shoving wrappers in seat pockets, in the seats and what not. People are PIGS and let’s call it what it is. Ever see passengers put their feet up on the bulkhead? I have and not a pretty sight……not interested in looking at that and many women with their fat feet showing off their latest pedicure is a reflection of Zero Class wherever you are going. Airlines make money FLYING and if you expect pristine conditions than a LCC like BREEZE is not an option.
Gland you spotlighted the situation.
Maybe the airline will get the message that those in the front rows have a higher expectations.
My home town is a Breeze focus city. However, they add and delete routes as the wind changes.
Also, some of the connections are 6+ hours. Not worth the headache.
Will stick with the big four. Not perfect, but better chances in the long run.
Every time I fly it seems the planes are always nasty. But Delta was pretty clean last time from LV to ATL. I always wear sacrificial clothing that I put on before my flight and remove when I land, unless I’m riding in a taxi then I wait until I get to my room.
Not my experience on Breeze, ORF-BDL. Just delay, because they flew to ORF from Phoenix and the flight did not depart ORF till appx 90 min late. Frequent occurence, I was told. Other than that, everything was flawless and certainly no dirt. No one else flies the route directly and A220 was quite fast, just little over an hour.
I love the A220…such a lovely aircraft.