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March 28, 2024
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This morning in Mobile Alabama, Airbus unveiled the first A220 for Breeze Airways. Last night at a dinner for the media, David Neeleman, CEO of Breeze briefly spoke about this event.  He is clearly excited about the A220 and explained how its range enables the airline to consider longer flights (up to seven hours). He mentioned “South America”, which for him almost certainly means Brazil.  These long flights are possible because the A220 cabin is flexible; he explained they could add up to 21 lay-flat seats and use typical business class seating, up to 36.  He also noted this was a distinct advantage for the A220 over the E2 – changing the seating on an E2 requires changing the overhead bins, too. 

In essence, the takeaway from this short chat was the flexibility of the A220 is a key feature enabling Breeze to optimize revenue.  He noted that people could see opportunities to fly US transcon and pay only $50 more for a big seat. The E-190s they have now (ex-Air Canada) are going to be focused on charters, for which he said they are “ideal”.  He also noted they want to add more E-195s from AZUL.  Finally, he said Breeze expects to have its first three A220s shortly (one is ready now and the other two shortly) and by year’s end they should have five. 

Here is the Breeze PR:

Salt Lake City, UT (October 26, 2021)Breeze Airways unveiled its first Airbus

A220-300 aircraft today, during a ceremony at the Airbus facility in Mobile, AL, which included a sneak preview of the airline’s A220 premium seat, which will debut in 2022 and be available for purchase with its ‘Nicest’ fare.

The nation’s newest low-cost carrier, which began service in May 2021 with an all-Embraer fleet has agreed to purchase 80 A220-300s with one aircraft scheduled to be delivered each month starting in October 2021 for the next six and a half years.  With $200 million of Series B capital closed earlier this year, Breeze is the best-funded startup airline in U.S. aviation history.

Breeze plans to enter the first six of its A220-300 fleet into service in the second quarter of 2022.  Initial routes will be announced in early 2022, expanding Breeze’s current 16-city route network and introducing longer-haul flights, including new service in transcontinental markets that lack non-stop flights today.

Breeze’s A220-300 aircraft features 36 premium seats in a two-by-two configuration, 10 extra legroom seats, and 80 standard legroom seats in a two-by-three configuration. All seats are fitted with in-seat power and USB ports. The airline plans to announce its high-speed connectivity and inflight entertainment partner in the coming weeks. All A220-300 aircraft will be outfitted with the technology allowing Guests to seamlessly stream TV or movies, check email, browse the internet and stay connected via social media or messaging apps while in flight.

Comfortable, Quiet, and Efficient

The A220-300 is the only aircraft built exclusively for the 100 to 150-seat market and brings together state-of-the-art aerodynamics, advanced materials and Pratt & Whitney’s latest-generation PurePower PW1500G geared turbofan engines. With a range of up to 3,450 nm (6,390 km), the A220-300 gives airlines such as Breeze unparalleled operational flexibility. The A220-300 also delivers up to 25-percent lower fuel burn and CO2 emissions per seat compared to previous generation aircraft, and 50-percent lower NOx emissions than industry standards. In addition, the aircraft noise footprint is reduced by 50-percent compared to previous generation aircraft.

Breeze will offer outstanding single-aisle comfort onboard its new A220-300 aircraft, with wider seats, larger windows, and more overhead stowage space per Guest than standard. The A220’s superior efficiency will support the new airline’s business objectives to deliver a “Seriously Nice” travel experience to its Guests with low fares and high flexibility as it introduces new nonstop flights between underserved markets.

In addition to featuring best-in-class economics, the A220 operates at lower noise levels, providing an exceptionally quiet and comfortable cabin.  Wider seats combined with ample headroom courtesy of pivot bins, and an advanced cabin management system will provide Breeze crews with easy, intuitive control of the aircraft’s interior environment and mood lighting.  The A220-300 aircraft are powered by Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1500G geared turbofan engines.

The Introduction of the ‘Nicest’ Fare and Premium Seat

Today, Breeze Guests are able to select from either the ‘Nice’ or ‘Nicer’ fare when booking on the Breeze website or app.  The ‘Nicer’ fare includes items such as a complimentary carry-on and checked bag and an extra legroom seat at the time of booking.  When booking a flight on the A220-300, Guests will have a third fare option to select the ‘Nicest’ fare which will feature a range of bundled amenities including a premium seat in the front of the cabin featuring 39-inches of seat pitch, 20.5-inches of seat width and special features such as a footrest for added comfort.  

The Breeze premium seat available with the ‘Nicest’ fare will provide a comfortable and attainable business class experience at an affordable price.

A220 Routes To Be Announced Early 2022

When Breeze launched its initial routes earlier this year, 95-percent of those markets did not have any existing nonstop, year-round service.  Many U.S. origin-destination travelers have no available nonstop flights today and are forced to take inconvenient, and often expensive, connecting flights through hub airports.  Breeze solves this problem with nonstop flights that by-pass hubs, getting Guests where they need to go in half the time for about half the price. 

“The A220-300 is a game-changer for us as we add long haul flights that can average five hours, including transcontinental service,” said Breeze’s Founder and CEO David Neeleman.  “By the end of 2022, Breeze will have 15 A220s in service. This aircraft is the perfect addition to our fast-growing airline as we seek to bring our Seriously Nice service to more communities across the U.S. and beyond.”

“The A220 embodies the Breeze ideal of merging kindness with technology, pairing unrivaled passenger comfort with eco-friendly efficiency,” said C. Jeffrey Knittel, Airbus Americas Chairman and CEO. “With the A220, Breeze is giving its passengers the widest cabin, highest ceiling, largest windows and largest overhead stowage in this class, while still managing to burn 25% less fuel with half the noise footprint of past generations.”

FlightSafety Flight Simulators

Breeze has selected FlightSafety International to provide Airbus A220 and Embraer E190 Full Flight Simulators (FFS) and Flight Training Devices (FTD).  FlightSafety will also maintain the operation of the devices and other crew training equipment for Breeze.

Based in Salt Lake City, UT, Breeze developed an app to deliver a simple and streamlined travel experience that provides the Guest with all the self-service tools they need to book, manage, change, and cancel flights.  The airline does not have a traditional call center – instead opting to handle Guest requests via text message, Facebook Messenger, and email. Breeze never charges change or cancellation fees, even up to 15 minutes before departure, and flight credit don’t expire for 24 months.

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Co-Founder AirInsight. My previous life includes stints at Shell South Africa, CIC Research, and PA Consulting. Got bitten by the aviation bug and ended up an Avgeek. Then the data bug got me, making me a curious Avgeek seeking data-driven logic. Also, I appreciate conversations with smart people from whom I learn so much. Summary: I am very fortunate to work with and converse with great people.

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