Breeze Airways has just updated its schedule to reveal its first Airbus A220-300 routes, which is pretty exciting.
In this post:
Breeze will fly A220s as of May 2022
As spotted by @IshrionA, Breeze Airways has just updated its schedule to reflect the carrier’s first Airbus A220 routes. The airline has initially revealed 17 Airbus A220 routes, with Tampa being the biggest market for the plane.
Breeze will fly A220s from Tampa (TPA) to the following airports:
- Akron/Canton (CAK) as of May 4, 2022
- Bentonville (XNA) as of May 6, 2022
- Charleston (CHS) as of May 4, 2022
- Huntsville (HSV) as of May 6, 2022
- Louisville (SDF) as of May 4, 2022
- Norfolk (ORF) as of May 4, 2022
- Oklahoma City (OKC) as of May 4, 2022
- Richmond (RIC) as of May 4, 2022
- Tulsa (TUL) as of May 5, 2022
Breeze will fly A220s from Charleston (CHS) to the following airports:
- Hartford (BDL) as of June 2, 2022
- Huntsville (HSV) as of June 30, 2022
- Providence (PVD) as of May 5, 2022
- Richmond (RIC) as of May 26, 2022
- Tampa (TPA) as of May 4, 2022
Breeze will fly A220s from Norfolk (ORF) to the following airports:
- Columbus (CMH) as of June 2, 2022
- Hartford (BDL) as of June 2, 2022
- Tampa (TPA) as of May 4, 2022
As someone who grew up in Tampa and still spends a lot of time there, I’m thrilled to see that the airline is choosing Tampa as the biggest initial base for the A220. I guess that suggests the carrier’s flights out of the city are performing pretty well.
What makes Breeze’s A220s special?
For context, Breeze is the airline startup that launched operations in May 2021. The airline was founded by David Neeleman, the same guy behind JetBlue. While the airline initially launched operations with leased Embraer E190/195 aircraft, the long term plan is for the airline to primarily operate Airbus A220s, as the airline has 80 of these on order.
The A220 is a joy to fly in general, given that it’s quiet, fuel efficient, and has a spacious cabin with a 2-3 layout. What’s especially cool is how Breeze Airways has chosen to configure these planes. Breeze A220-300s will feature just 126 seats, including 36 first class seats, which is unheard of.
Breeze sure is taking an unusual approach for a low cost carrier, and I’m sure passengers will love the experience. I’m curious if they’re willing to pay for it, though.
How much is Breeze charging for first class?
One of the big questions has been how much Breeze would charge for first class, known as “Nicest.” The airline doesn’t offer first class on Embraer aircraft, so we’ve been waiting for the A220s to see what first class pricing would be like.
We’ve been promised the premium for first class would be mild, and indeed that’s the case. For example, looking at a one-way fare from Tampa to Tulsa, the cheapest fare (“Nice”) is $79, while the first class fare (“Nicest”) is $99.
An extra $20 for that is an absolute bargain, especially when you consider what’s included. Not only do you get a first class seat, but you get two free checked bags, a full size carry-on, priority boarding, and a drink and snack (though note that unlike other airlines, there’s no free alcohol or meals).
What an absolute deal, and any passenger who can swing it absolutely should pay the extra $20 for that, as you won’t find value like that on any other airline.
I’m very curious to see how this evolves, and love the way Breeze is headed.
Bottom line
Breeze Airways’ much anticipated Airbus A220 flights are now on sale. The airline will start flying the new planes as of May 2022, with Tampa being the biggest base. The A220 will finally offer the passenger experience that Breeze has been promising all along, including the introduction of first class. Breeze first class is quite a deal, and you can bet that I’ll be flying the airline out of Tampa in May.
What do you make of Breeze Airways’ initial A220 routes, and first class pricing?
1st class have TV?
It's pleasant to fly in because it is fuel efficient? Huh?
Given how wildly different first / business class seats can be across carriers, maybe it’s time to regulate some minimum standards for each class of service.
Previously, Nicer seats (extra legroom) were generally $70-$90 more than nice seats for PVD-CHS. Included other Nicest amenities. I would expect the difference to rise to $100 in time, which is still a fair price premium when you figure a carry-on or checked bag is typically $30. Even that is fair.
One of the things people miss about premium in the A220 is that going 2x2 in a row requires losing only 1 seat a row (plus extra legroom) which is a huge advantage to the bean counters as each premium seat takes up less with minimum impact on perceived comfort. It's an advantage for premium heavy configurations. It will be interesting to see the price difference on longer haul, the 220 is pretty comfortable in...
One of the things people miss about premium in the A220 is that going 2x2 in a row requires losing only 1 seat a row (plus extra legroom) which is a huge advantage to the bean counters as each premium seat takes up less with minimum impact on perceived comfort. It's an advantage for premium heavy configurations. It will be interesting to see the price difference on longer haul, the 220 is pretty comfortable in the back and maybe not worth the upgrade on a shirt flight.
Yes, losing only one seat (out of five) per row makes offering an inexpensive First Class possible for Breeze without losing revenue.
First Class row: 4 seats x $99 each ~ $400
Economy row: 5 seats x $79 each ~ $400
So it's basically revenue neutral for Breeze. The brilliant part about it is that it brings First Class to the masses, which should prove popular. Might be the niftiest pricing concept since Costco. :-)
Except for the fact that extra legroom means fewer rows in the same space. Looking at the seatplan, it appears that 4 First Class rows occupy roughly the same floorspace as 5 Economy rows, meaning a $400 "loss" for each block of 4 First Class rows!
Such a small set of clients. Tampa? Charleston? Norfork? so odd
Makes perfect sense, if you spent the 5 seconds it would take to read their mission statement: to provide nonstop jet service between small and medium markets that traditional mainline carriers don't offer.
Maybe they can finally start paying their employees minimum wage
They don't have employees. They have interns. People want cheap fares.
It isn't just TPA... it's all of their enumerated focus cities, with the glaring exception of MSY.
A220s are now scheduled to fly:
7 routes from TPA (TUL, HSV, CHS, SDF, CAK, RIC, ORF)
4 routes from CHS (HSV, RIC, BDL, TPA)
3 routes from BDL (PIT, ORF, CHS)
2 routes from ORF (CMH, BDL)
Great News, enjoy the JetBlue family experience so far, will see how long that pricing last once more routes and travel picks up again