Last month the US domestic low-cost carrier Breeze Airways flew its inaugural flight, non-stop, from Tampa to Charleston on an Embraer 195. Later this year the Salt Lake City-based airline will take delivery of its first Airbus A220 aircraft allowing it to spread its wings over the eastern part of the USA.
Following in the footsteps of other low-cost carriers, Spirit and JetBlue, Breeze will provide a First Class domestic cabin in a 2 + 2 configuration. The airline is set to receive a new A220 every month for the next five years – and by then its sixty-strong fleet of jets will make Breeze one of the best-connected airlines in the US.
The “Nicest” cabin will offer passengers the latest, comfortable, Safran Z600 seat. The airline will also offer “Nice” and “Nicer” – economy and premium economy services - respectively.
While no pitch details of the Safran Z600 have been released, the company says a 'cradling motion kinematic' design provides "a higher recline angle than traditional solutions with 50% less intrusion into the living space of the next passenger." Each seat will feature power sockets and USB ports.
The airlines CEO - David Neeleman – is no stranger to the low-cost airline model, having launched JetBlue and the Brazilian-based Azul. While Breeze has not said what kind of inflight service Nicest will deliver, its hoped that the airline will eventually provide its premium passengers hot food and drinks. Neeleman’s favourite hue is blue and like his previous airlines, Breeze is dominated by this colour both inside and out.
By the end of July, Breeze will be flying to & from 16 mid-sized cities from Oklahoma to Columbus and Akron to New Orleans – supported by the Embraer 195. The airline plans more destinations as the A220 fleet expands. Breeze will only offer non-stop flights and it is expected that the A220s will fly the routes over two hours in duration while the thirty leased Embraer aircraft will service the short hops.
At its launch, Neeleman said of his Breeze team, "We brought humanity back to the airline industry with JetBlue. Today, we're excited to introduce the “World's Nicest Airline.”
Time will tell whether “nice” coupled with low fares will win over the American flying public.
