With the airline industry’s deregulation in 1978, many low-cost carriers emerged in the US. The arrival of low-fare airlines stirred air travel and led to the democratization of air service. The low-cost philosophy has flourished tremendously, bringing competition and low fares in the market. The US startup Breeze Airways is a new player in the low-cost segment, offering affordable, non-stop services between underserved US routes. Despite being relatively new, the carrier has quickly gained recognition and growth. What’s it like to jet on a budget with Breeze Airways? Is Breeze Airways a good airline?
Here’s a comprehensive Breeze Airlines review that covers aspects like cabin services, pricing, seats, etc.
Quick overview of Breeze Airways
Breeze Airways is a Utah-based carrier operating low-cost passenger flights within the US. It is the brainchild of David G. Neeleman, a Brazilian-American businessman who has successfully founded four other commercial airlines, including JetBlue. Set up with plans of offering point-to-point flights from secondary airports; Breeze took off for the first time on May 21, 2021.
Starting from obscurity, Breeze Airways is sailing rapidly into the new growth phase. Its cost leader approach has made it a quick hit among US passengers. In a short period, the high-profile Neeleman startup has made significant inroads in US aviation. It carries out its flight operations from 7 different bases, including Charleston, Hartford, New Orleans, Norfolk, Providence, Provo, and Tampa.
Cottonwood Heights-headquartered Breeze Airways is an entirely domestic airline. The carrier operates a fully-domestic route network within the US and doesn’t have any international presence. You can’t fly internationally or cross US borders with this airline.
Breeze Airlines review
Pricing
The 2-year-old Breeze Airways offers low base fares without add-ons and frills of other services. True to form with LCC, the carrier keeps its ticket price low and makes flying accessible to all. Billing itself as a ‘seriously nice’ airline, Breeze sells its ticket in three different fare classes-Nice, Nicer and Nicest. These three tiers of seating give passengers the choice to tailor the journey to their particular needs.
Customers traveling on a no-frills Nice ticket will get a standard economy seat. It is the cheapest travel deal, a preferred choice for cost-conscious travelers. All other kinds of baggage will incur fees in this fare class except for personal items.
Also Read: Where does Breeze Airways fly?
The Nice fare bundle includes a seat with extra legroom, a personal item, a carry-on, and one checked bag. Customers can enjoy seamless boarding (priority) and fill their stomachs with drinks and snacks during the flight.
Then there’s ‘Nicest’- the top fare class which delivers the best onboard experience to flying customers. The Nicest fare class has several upsell opportunities, including First-Class style seats, two checked bags, and drinks & snacks.
Breeze’s Nicest First Class seats cost less than standard economy seats in major airlines like American, United, etc. For the same routes, you can consider flying in the comfortable first-class seats of Breeze Airways than in traditional carriers’ relatively cramped economy seats.
Seats
Depending on the price of your ticket, Breeze seats may vary from standard economy coach to spacious first-class seats. The carrier has outfitted its fleet of 15 Airbus A220-300s in a three-class seating configuration. You can choose between Nice, Nicer, and Nicer seats on an A220-operated flight.
The remaining Embraer 190 and 195 jets follow dual-class seating protocol and do not feature First Class seats. Breeze Airways narrows cabin offerings to Nice and Nicer seats in Embraer-operated regional routes.
Breeze Airways Airbus A220-300 seating information
Version 1 (126-seat A220)
- First Class Seats: 36 (2 x 2 configuration; seat width-20.5 inches, pitch-39 inches
- Premium Economy Seats: 10 (3 x 2 configuration; seat width-18 inches, seat pitch-33 inches)
- Standard Economy Seats: 80 (3 x 2 configuration; seat width-18 inches, seat pitch-30 inches)
Version 2 (137-seat A220)
- First Class seats: 12 (2 x 2 configuration; 20.5” wide and 39” pitch)
- Extra legroom seats: 45 (3 x 2 configuration; 18” wide and 33” pitch)
- Standard seats: 80 (3 x 2 configuration; 18” wide and 30” pitch)
Breeze Airways Embraer jets seating info
E190
- Extra legroom seats: 48 (2 x 2 configuration; 17.6” wide and 33-39” pitch)
- Standard economy seats: 60 (2 x 2 configuration; 17.6” wide and 29” pitch)
E195
- Extra legroom seats: 22 (2 x 2 configuration; 17.6” wide and 34-39” pitch)
- Standard economy seats: 96 (2 x 2 configuration; 17.6” wide and 31” pitch)
Inflight entertainment
Breeze Airlines’ review regarding in-flight entertainment is mixed, with some satisfied with available services and others unhappy with having limited choices. While the carrier has rolled out its in-flight entertainment system fleet-wide, the Wi-Fi service is confined to select aircraft. Low-cost Breeze Airways offers Viasat in-flight Wi-Fi service on select A220 jets only. However, the plan is to equip all Airbus A220 narrow-bodies with high-speed streaming Wi-Fi by early 2024. Until then, limited customers will get to enjoy the convenience of onboard internet connectivity.
Criticism: Limited choice of TV series and movies, lack of Wi-Fi on all aircraft
Food and beverages
While Breeze Airways offers complimentary water and coffee, all other beverages will incur extra fees. Breeze Airways, a low-cost carrier at heart, charges additional dollars on drinks and snacks to offset its bare-bone fares.
However, if you are a Breeze Ascent or Nicest class traveler, all beverages, including soft drinks, alcohol, and premium drinks, are complimentary. During the flight, you can also treat yourself to complimentary Breeze bites and premium snacks (except for the Breeze Snack Box and Meat and Cheese plate).
Onboard amenities
How’s the Breeze Airlines’ review regarding onboard amenities? Compared to smaller Embraer 190 and 195 jets, A220 jets are miles ahead regarding cabin amenities. The Cottonwood Heights-headquartered carrier offers the following amenities onboard A220s:
- USB power ports
- 60W laptop charging with USB C ports
- Wi-Fi (select)
- 120 V AC Power Outlet (available on business-style Breeze Ascent cabin only)
None of these amenities are in Breeze’s regional fleet of Embraer 190 and 195s.
In-flight customer service
Breeze Airlines’ review regarding in-flight customer service is mostly positive, with many passengers satisfied with flight attendants’ hospitality. Overall, the in-flight crews are helpful and courteous and offer good hospitality to flyers.
Breeze Airways review (ground services)
There are not many customer complaints regarding passenger check-in and boarding formalities. Breeze Airways customers can check themselves online using the mobile app or website 24 hours before the scheduled takeoff. In-person check-in is available two hours before the scheduled departure, but printing a boarding pass will incur an additional $3.
The no. of permitted bags varies based on the type of fare class. The nice fare includes just one personal item (like a purse or backpack) per guest, and all other luggage will earn additional dollars.
At the airport, Breeze Airways provides priority boarding services to high-paying customers. With priority boarding, you can avoid the crowd and settle on the plane sooner.
Breeze Airlines review: Is it a good airline?
To sum up, Breeze Airways is a thriving low-cost carrier offering affordable flights to underserved routes. True to its LCC form, the Utah-based carrier keeps its fares low but charges money on anything extra.
Before answering whether Breeze Airways is good or worth the try, considering it is a low-cost airline is worth considering. The budget airline competes on price rather than service standards. More than quality, Breeze focuses on making air travel accessible to large swaths of the public. While purchasing flight tickets with Breeze, remember you will receive what you pay for. The Utah-based LCC is an excellent choice for cost-conscious customers happy to trade low fares for many cut corners.
Breeze Airways offers three cabin classes to appeal to a wide variety of customers. Each fare class comes with its own perks to give customers the desired experience. You can purchase the’ Nicest’ ticket if you have more appetite for premium experiences. Nonetheless, meal choices are minimal and in-flight amenities are limited in this class too.
For a better customer experience, Breeze Airways needs to work seriously on in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi offerings. It’s odd and miserable to struggle to entertain oneself during the flight, especially in this era. Over nearly three years of operations, Breeze still hasn’t managed to equip its entire fleet with the latest connectivity features.
Breeze Airways’ destinations
The current route map of Breeze Airways includes 35 destinations across the US. The American discount carrier is entirely domestic and doesn’t serve any international destination. At present, Breeze Airways has a presence in 21 US states. It serves the highest number of destinations in Florida (7), followed by California (4) and New York (3). Likewise, it serves a single airport each in Alabama (Huntsville), Arizona (Phoenix), Arkansas (Fayetteville), Connecticut (Harford), Georgia (Savannah), Louisiana (New Orleans), Maine (Portland), Nevada (Las Vegas), North Carolina (Raleigh), Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh), Rhode Island (Providence), South Carolina (Charleston), Utah (Provo), and West Virginia (Charleston).
