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 inflight.
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 GTF™ 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 on board 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.
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.
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.
