Breeze Airways
, a young low-cost carrier set on challenging the status quo, burst onto the scene in 2021 under the leadership of industry titan David Neeleman, who also founded JetBlue, WestJet, Brazilian low-cost carrier Azul, and defunct low-cost airline Morris Air. With an inaugural flight between Tampa International Airport (TPA) and Charleston International Airport (CHS) taking place on May 27th, 2021, the airline was off to the races, hitting the ground running with an already unique business model.
Breeze Airways, as has become extremely clear through multiple conversations with Simple Flying, aims to achieve long-term success by operating point-to-point routes, which they refer to as “hub-busters.” These flights bypass airline hubs entirely, as a traditional airline would typically require passengers to transfer aircraft between two cities like Tampa and Charleston if they lack a hub at either facility. This leads to inefficiencies which both reduce operating costs for airlines and disincentivize travelers from flying a given airline or even flying at all.
Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock
To operate with this vision, Breeze Airways could not set up a simple hub-and-spoke system and instead chose to create a network of non-traditional operating bases. While some of these are large enough to act somewhat similarly to legacy airline hubs, others serve more unique roles. Let’s take a deeper look at five Breeze Airways operating bases (and there are many others) and explore how the company leverages its extensive network to serve unique destinations with nonstop flights.
5
Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (PVD)
Airport Location: Providence, Rhode Island
Operating out of T. F. Green International Airport gives Breeze Airways some unique opportunities. It allows the airline to better serve communities in the southern areas of the greater Boston Metropolitan Area and serves as the principal low-cost airline operating out of Rhode Island’s primary airport (although Southwest does operate a handful of seasonal flights as well). The airline serves all the following destinations from PVD:
- Charleston (South Carolina)
- Fort Myers
- Greenville/Spartanburg
- Jacksonville (Florida)
- Myrtle Beach
- Norfolk
- Orlando
- Pittsburgh
- Raleigh/Durham
- Sarasota
- Savannah
- Tampa
- Vero Beach
- Cincinnati (seasonal)
- Columbus (seasonal)
- Denver (seasonal)
- Los Angeles (seasonal)
Photo: The Global Guy | Shutterstock
It is interesting to note that Breeze has two more routes set to begin operations in the coming months from Providence Airport. The airline will begin flying to Daytona Beach and Wilmington, North Carolina, in February. Currently, the airline is the only carrier operating flights all the way to the West Coast from the airport.
4
Vero Beach Regional Airport (VRB)
Airport Location: Vero Beach, Florida
Located on the Eastern Coast of Florida north of Port Saint Lucie, Vero Beach is increasingly becoming a popular beach destination for those looking to visit the state of Florida. A publicly owned facility that is also home to Pipe Aircraft, the airport currently has just one commercial operator, according to documents from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Here are the destinations which Breeze Airways currently serves from the airport:
- Hartford
- Providence
- White Plains, New York
- Long Island/Islip (seasonal)
The company will continue to expand its offerings at the airport in the coming weeks. On November 21st, the airline will begin flying to both Newburgh (SWF) and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), with service from New Haven (HVN) set to start up on December 13th.
3
Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY)
Airport Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Breeze Airways is by no means the largest operator at New Orleans’ primary airport, with both Southwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines operating far more flights to and from the airport than Breeze. Even legacy carriers operate more flights than Breeze does.
However, the young low-cost carrier is the only airline to operate a dedicated operating base at the facility. The airline serves all the following destinations from New Orleans:
- Charleston (South Carolina)
- Fayetteville/Bentonville
- Louisville
- Norfolk
- Orlando
- Raleigh/Durham
- Richmond
- Fort Myers (seasonal)
- Jacksonville (Florida) (seasonal)
- Pittsburgh (seasonal)
Related
Why Does New Orleans International Airport Have The IATA Code MSY?
The IATA code MSY can be traced back to the name of the land on which the airport was built in the 1940s.
2
Norfolk International Airport (ORF)
Airport Location: Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is again an example of a Breeze Airways operating base that serves a relatively underserved community. No airline operates a major hub or operating base from Norfolk, and most airlines just serve a couple of destinations from the facility.
Photo: The Global Guy | Shutterstock
Breeze, however, serves more than a handful, and its list of services continues to grow with new flights to New Haven (HVN) and West Palm Beach (PBI) set to enter the picture in February. Currently, Breeze serves all the following destinations from Norfolk:
- Charleston (South Carolina)
- Hartford
- Jacksonville (Florida)
- Las Vegas
- Long Island/Islip
- New Orleans
- Providence
- San Diego
- Tampa
- Akron/Canton (seasonal)
- Columbus-Glenn (seasonal)
- Fort Myers (seasonal)
- Los Angeles (seasonal)
- Phoenix-Sky Harbor (seasonal)
- Pittsburgh (seasonal)
- Portland (Maine) (seasonal)
- Syracuse (seasonal)
- White Plains (seasonal)
Related
What Are Breeze Airways’ Top Routes This November?
The airline has scheduled more than 4,000 passenger flights this month.
1
Provo Municipal Airport (PVU)
Airport Location: Provo, Utah
Photo: Provo Airport
Provo Airport is the Breeze operating base located closest to the company’s headquarters in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. This facility is not served just by Breeze, with Allegiant Air operating a base at the airport, while American also serves its Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Phoenix-Sky Harbor (PHX) facilities from Provo. Breeze is set to add Orlando International Airport (MCO) to its list of destinations served from Provo in December, a set of routes that already includes service to all the following destinations:
- Dallas/Fort Worth
- Orange County
- Phoenix-Sky Harbor
- San Francisco
- Washington-Dulles