While the aviation crisis originated by the pandemic has hit the finances of many well-established airlines all over the world. The pandemic has also facilitated the expansion of smaller airlines, as well as the emergence of new ones that can now benefit from reduced costs and the decline in routes.

Despite being founded in 2018, U.S. start-up airline, Breeze Airways has already made a bold move by ordering up to 80 new Airbus A220, opting to transform its second-hand Embraer E190/195 model to a fleet of the all-new Airbus family type.

Now Breeze Airways has taken delivery of its first of 80 new Airbus A220s that it has on order. The low-cost carrier also revealed its new aircraft cabin design, which is equipped with some brand new features that could revolutionize the low-cost segment in the United States.

With a total of 126 seats in a 3 class configuration, the company is seeking to differentiate itself from the average low-cost concept and offer a seemingly full-service experience. As such, these 3 classes have been named as follows:

• “Nicest”: 36 seats in total in a 2-2 configuration, and includes complementary services like an in-flight snack & drink service, priority boarding and 2 free checked bags, as well as a generous seat pitch, among others.
• “Nicer”: 10 seats in total in a 2-3 configuration, and while the seat pitch is reduced, the same services as in the “Nicest” class are included, limiting the free checked bag to one.
• “Nice”: A total of 80 regular economy class seats, with a 2-3 seating configuration with no additional benefits.

Despite not having a personal IFE screen at each seat, all seats will be equipped with a USB port. The aircraft will also have high-speed Wi-fi which will allow passengers to stream their favourite movies and TV shows.

When Breeze Airways launched commercial operations back in May 2021 with a used fleet of Embraers, it began by connecting secondary airports in the United States. The revolutionary concept of point-to-point travel to secondary airports seems to have earned a spot in the skies. However, only time will tell as the airline begins to evolve into a more sophisticated version of itself.

Despite taking delivery of its first A220-300, the aircraft type won’t be transporting passengers anytime soon. Breeze Airways previously outlined that the Airbus A220-300 won’t be put into commercial service until the second quarter of 2022. This will allow the airline to use the new aircraft for training purposes for both its flight and ground crews.

Breeze Airways also stated that by the second quarter of 2022, it hopes to have 6 Airbus A220-300 aircraft. The news follows a recent announcement by the aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, which plans to have a delivery rate of an Airbus A220-300 per month for the next six and a half years.

This impressive change from the typical low-cost model comes as no surprise as the founder of Breeze Airways is David Neeleman, a co-founder of JetBlue and Azul Linhas Aereas. Mr Neeleman was keen to stress that the aircraft’s cabin can be easily reconfigured depending on the response of the audience to the seat planning, as well as changes in demand both during different seasons or routes.

Overall, the A220-300 gives Breeze Airways the versatility it needs and offers “superior efficiency” as well as “a range of up to 3,450 nm (6,390 km),” which is ideal for a fast-growing airline that seeks to “provide nonstop service between underserved routes across the U.S. at affordable fares.”

The U.S. low-cost airline sector will certainly be watching as this airline is set to dramatically expand over the following years. Who knows, maybe even beyond the borders of the United States. While the Airbus A220 is very efficient, it also has a relatively high range as a narrow-body aircraft, so who knows maybe Breeze Airways could expand even beyond the borders of the United States.

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Source: https://aeronewsx.com/breeze-airways-unveils-first-airbus-a220-300/