Breeze Airways is deepening its ties to Florida. The startup ultra-low-cost provider is including Southwest Florida Worldwide Airport (RSW) close to Fort Myers as its latest working base later this yr.
The Provo, Utah-based price range airline will make Fort Myers its ninth working base efficient Oct. 1, the corporate mentioned Tuesday. The announcement comes simply days after the airline opened one other Florida base at Orlando Worldwide Airport (MCO).
As a part of the transfer, the airline will base plane at RSW in a single day — three jets from the outset — and develop into a crew base for each pilots and flight attendants.
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A ninth working base
Launched in 2022, Breeze has positioned a robust emphasis on Fort Myers of late.
Within the fourth quarter of 2023, the provider doubled its footprint on the airport over the prior yr, the corporate famous Tuesday.
It flew a strong schedule this previous winter season, as proven by Cirium. It included nonstop flights to lots of the airline’s different working bases (particularly on the East Coast) and a handful of smaller cities, equivalent to Syracuse, New York; Akron, Ohio; and Louisville, Kentucky.
Taking each seasonal and year-round locations under consideration, Breeze serves 19 locations from Fort Myers, it mentioned. It additionally plans so as to add 5 routes from there within the coming months.
Here is the complete rundown of Breeze working bases, together with Fort Myers.
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| Airport | Metropolis |
|---|---|
| Bradley Worldwide Airport (BDL) | Hartford |
| Charleston Worldwide Airport (CHS) | Charleston, South Carolina |
| Louis Armstrong New Orleans Worldwide Airport (MSY) | New Orleans |
| Norfolk Worldwide Airport (ORF) | Norfolk, Virginia |
| Orlando Worldwide Airport (MCO) | Orlando |
| Provo Municipal Airport (PVU) | Provo, Utah |
| Rhode Island T.F. Inexperienced Worldwide Airport (PVD) | Windfall |
| Southwest Florida Worldwide Airport (RSW) | Fort Myers |
| Tampa Worldwide Airport (TPA) | Tampa |
Not shying away from Florida
Apparently, zeroing in on Fort Myers will give Breeze three working bases in Florida. It is a noteworthy transfer at a time when a number of airways have been de-prioritizing the Sunshine State — and notably Orlando — amid dropping fares and challenges flying profitably to longtime rock-solid leisure locations.
Frontier Airways and Spirit Airways have each launched into main community shakeups in current months searching for extra worthwhile flying. Frontier, for one, has shifted important visitors out of the state for the reason that begin of the yr.
Amongst Breeze’s friends, Frontier will develop its scheduled home seats to Florida by simply 1.5% this summer season after rising by 24% the earlier summer season. Spirit will develop by simply 2.7% in June, July and August after 12% development a yr prior.
Fellow startup provider Avelo (launched in 2021) will drop its capability to Florida 41% this summer season.
Breeze, alternatively, will develop by round 49% this summer season.
First worthwhile month
Although bucking the current Florida developments, in some methods, the airline could also be working with a little bit of confidence of late. On the identical day it introduced its Fort Myers plans, the corporate additionally revealed it wrapped up its first-ever worthwhile month in March — lower than two years after commencing operations in 2022 underneath the steering of JetBlue founder David Neeleman.
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“Beginning an airline is just not for the faint of coronary heart, however now we have remained true to our function: to present hundreds of thousands of vacationers in underserved markets entry to environment friendly and reasonably priced air journey,” Breeze president Tom Doxey mentioned in a press release Monday.
Breeze additionally just lately unveiled plans for its first cobranded bank card and loyalty program. Nationwide, its seasonal and year-round community now contains 56 cities and 170 routes.
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