David Neeleman, the founder of JetBlue Airways, has unveiled Breeze Airways, a new airline which will hit U.S. skies as early as this year. How will Breeze Airways distinguish itself from others?
Dual Fleet
Breeze Airways will operate two aircraft types, an Embraer E195 and Airbus A220. The Embraer E195 are on lease from Azul, a Brazilian carrier that Neeleman also founded. In 2021, Breeze will take delivery of its first A220 jet. The E195 will seat 118 to 122 while the A220 will seat 118 to 145. Breeze will offer two cabins of service and has obtained 30 E195s and has 60 A220s on order.
Point-To-Point Service From Secondary Airports
Don’t expect to see Breeze Airways at any major U.S. airport, at least early on. Instead, Breeze Airways will offer nonstop service between cities that currently lack it. By utilizing smaller airports like Mesa (AZA) instead of Phoenix, Burbank (BUR) instead of Los Angeles, and Providence (PVD) instead of Boston, Breeze will keep costs down and open up new nonstop flights between cities that are currently “underserved”.
Non-Daily Service
Some routes will be daily, but Breeze envisions serving many cities between 2-4 days per week. The hope is that this will allow for more effective aircraft utilization. While my initial impression was that this limits Breeze to leisure travelers, that is not necessarily so. Budget carriers in Europe like EasyJet and Ryanair have proven quite adept at enticing business travelers on routes which do no operate daily. With lower costs from non-daily service and utilizing secondary airports, Breeze envisions it needs loads of only 50% to break even.
“Trendsetting” Technology
I take this last differentiator with a grain of salt. Neeleman promises streaming in-flight-entertainment and hints at complimentary wi-fi. No setback screens are planned.
That sounds like an IFE model American Airlines is increasingly embracing. Sure, it is better than Allegiant, Frontier, or Spirit, but it hardly sounds revolutionary.
CONCLUSION
Neelemans’ latest airline project had been code-named “Moxy”. Neeleman told The Points Guy that he did not brand his new airline as Moxy because Marriott used the name for a new chain of hotels. Ultimately, he said, “The name doesn’t make you, you make the name. We’ll make it something special.”
I’m looking forward to it.
Will you be flying to Mexico
Not sure.
I imagine it’s a best strategy for survival but sucks for the rest of us that have to fly main market routes and are desperate for a change.
Neeleman is brilliant. From WestJet, Morris Air, Jet Blue and Azul there is no doubt that he just might be the smartest guy out there in the industry. It’s why I am so excited for this. But, again, starting with secondary point to point is hard for me right now. Hopefully, eventually, this will change.
The industry is ready for this. Customers are ready for his ability to serve up a really great product. It may be his best yet.
I’m certainly hoping so!
Given the desperate need for more competition, I really hope this works. The 50% load factor seems a bit optimistic, though.
The idea of “trendsetting” technology interests me, though I’m not sure how it will compare to other flights. For example, I fly Alaska at least once a year and I enjoy their streaming movie offerings. Will Breeze be able to up the ante, for lack of a better term, by offering something greater? It’s intriguing, though.