There has always been this idea that if something is cheap there is a little to no quality behind the product. We obviously don't believe that here at Going. Our whole mission is to help travelers score quality cheap flights and we know that sometimes paying more doesn't mean a better experience. That's also the case with Breeze Airways, which offers a quality product at lower cost than the legacy carriers covering the same routes.
What’s Breeze Airways?
Breeze Airways is another one of the newest low-cost point-to-point airlines to take off in 2021 alongside Avelo Airlines. The company was first founded as Moxy Airways in 2018 but has been operating as Breeze Airways since May 27, 2021. The company was founded by David Neelemen and a crew of industry executives with their hands in the successes of many other airlines like Air Canada, JetBlue, and United.
Currently, Breeze has 14 aircrafts in their fleet; most of which are Embraer 190s and 195s, and one Airbus A220.
Where does Breeze fly?
Breeze’s focus is on underserved cities that tend not to be directly connected by other airlines. They currently operate more than 70 different routes and fly to 28 airports. On top of that, all of their current routes are nonstop.
They serve the following cities:
- Akron, OH
- Charleston, SC
- Charleston, WV
- Cincinnati, OH
- Columbus, OH
- Fayetteville, AR
- Fort Meyers, FL
- Gulfport, MS
- Hartford, CT
- Huntsville, AL
- Islip, NY
- Jacksonville, FL
- Las Vegas, NV
- Los Angeles, CA
- Louisville, KY
- New Orleans, LA
- Norfolk, VA
- Orange Count, CA
- Orlando, FL
- Phoenix, AZ
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Plattsburgh, NY
- Portland, ME
- Providence, RI
- Provo, UT
- Raleigh, NC
- Richmond, VA
- San Bernardino, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- Sarasota, FL
- Savannah, GA
- Springfield, IL
- Syracuse, NY
- Tampa, FL
- Tulsa, OK
- Vero Beach, FL
- West Palm Beach, FL
- White Plaines, NY
Previous deals Going has found on Breeze
- New Orleans nonstop to Charleston for $58 roundtrip
- Tulsa nonstop to Tampa for $62 roundtrip
- Akron nonstop to West Palm Beach for $118 roundtrip
- Los Angeles nonstop to Savannah for $198 roundtrip
- San Francisco nonstop to Charleston for $398 roundtrip in business class
Booking a Breeze flight
The booking process is very straightforward. On the website, Breeze will prompt you to make an account and will take you through your selections. If you’re booking from your phone, the mobile app is very user-friendly as well.
The base fare class is called the “Nice” class. Like on many budget airlines there will be upsell opportunities that will include extra fees. There are extra fees for seat selection, including an option for an extra leg room seat (though the normal seats have plenty of space for this 5’11 male). They also have a modest pet fee of $75 if you’re planning on bringing a furry friend.
Finally, if you want to bring more than a small personal item (like a backpack that fits under the seat) you’ll need to pay $25 for a carryon or $29 for a checked bag (each way) if you book in advance (it costs more if you add those later). Breeze does wrap all of these upsell opportunities into their “Nicer” fare class which includes an extra legroom seat, a carryon, one checked bag, a soft drink, a snack, priority boarding, and 4% of the base fare added to your BreezePoints account. There is also a brand new “Nicest” fare class, Breeze’s first class option, which includes the same options as the previous fare class but includes two checked bags and 6% of the base fare added to your BreezePoints account.
We flew nonstop to Charleston from Columbus and our tickets came out to $72 roundtrip per person with a personal item, if we both added a full sized carryon we’d each pay an additional $25 each way. This same route on the legacy carriers are more expensive and more often than not are not nonstop.
The Breeze experience on the ground
If you download the app, it will display the flight status and the boarding pass along with any add-ons you may have, like TSA Precheck. With only a few flights from any given Breeze location in the day it’s safe to assume that checking in in-person probably won’t be too cumbersome either.
Because Breeze usually only has one gate, it can be easy to miss, so be sure to double check as you’re looking around. On our flight down to Charleston our plane was delayed and this fact was overcommunicated in the best sense of the word. Texts, emails, app notifications, and verbal announcements all came together to make sure we knew of any change. Once the plane arrived the turnaround was lightning fast and our boarding was even quicker.
The Breeze in-flight experience
On both legs of our journey (to and from Charleston) we were met with very friendly flight attendants and a pretty quick boarding process. On the way there, the plane was at about half capacity and on the way back it was about 75%.
Though there was a decent amount of overhead bins for the passengers to use, the bins themselves aren’t massive and if you have a carry-on that’s pushing the limit size wise, we’d suggest opting for a checked bag. None of the flight attendants on either flight seemed to be monitoring who was supposed to have a carry-on and who wasn’t but as always it’s a risk you’ll have to weigh for yourself.
Seats on Breeze
The seats are very comfortable and on short haul flights there are only two seats in each row on either side of the aisle so no one is stuck with the middle seat. There is decent legroom in the normal fare class but there is an option to pay more for extra legroom which does provide a bit of a difference—but not a life changing one—for such a short flight. For many carriers the standard seat pitch is anywhere from 29 to 32 inches and Breeze’s standard seats have a pitch of 32 inches. For the extra legroom seats the pitch is 39 inches with some additional padding. The First class seats have a 39 inch pitch and fully recline. On the plane the sections are separated by color to distinguish the fare classes/seat types:
Red= Extra Legroom
Yellow= Standard Seat
Blue= First Class
If you pay to select in advance, the standard seat will be $10 to $30 extra each way and the extra legroom seat will be $20 to $50 each way. Otherwise, you’re assigned a seat at check in.
Food and drink on Breeze
Every passenger gets water on the flight. If you are part of the “Nice” fare class, you will have the option to purchase beverages and snacks at $3.50 and $4.50 each respectively, snack boxes at $8.50 each, and bundles for $10-$22. All beverage options are soft drinks and the snacks are your typical light snacks including chips, nuts, and candy. If you are part of the “Nicer” or “Nicest” fare classes one drink and snack of your choice is included. In the future, Breeze plans to expand to include alcoholic beverages for purchase.
Entertainment on Breeze
Breeze doesn’t currently offer wifi or inflight entertainment so you’ll have to load up on your favorites before you take off. The seat backs do have a handy stand perfect for holding a phone or tablet at your eye level for inflight Netflix binging. As Breeze expands to the A220s they are aiming to add inflight wifi at no extra cost.
Breeze In-Flight Service
Breeze’s tagline is “Seriously Nice” and we found that to be accurate. The service and staff at both the Columbus Airport (CMH) and the Charleston Airport (CHS) were top notch. Everyone we came into contact with was extremely friendly and happy to answer any questions for these first-time customers. We didn’t deal with any issues regarding masks and for a few people whose masks were damaged, they were promptly given replacements.
Summary
What’s great about Breeze:
- You are extremely unlikely to find a cheaper price on the routes Breeze serves, and in many cases Breeze is the only nonstop option for these routes.
- Friendly staff and service
- Above average legroom in economy class
- Great city selection if planning road trips or open-jaw with other airline flights
What’s not so great about Breeze:
- Flight routes and schedules may be a limiting factor
- No inflight entertainment
- Small overhead space
- Point-to-point network and limited planes in service means delays can pile up
Breeze is the perfect counter example to the thought that if something is cheap there is a little to no quality behind the product. While their route network isn’t as extensive as some other carriers, they serve a good range of spots. Their one-way pricing is straightforward (you don’t pay more to fly one-way) so you could combine a Breeze one-way flight to one city with another one-way to/from a major city nearby and road trip between the two.
As we’ve said with many point-to-point airlines, it’s best to fly earlier in the day, if possible, to avoid rolling delays for departures later in the day. And of course, you’ll get the most value from the airline if you avoid add-ons, but even then, Breeze’s fees are reasonable.
With great service, fees that don’t feel like price-gouging, and excellent fares, Breeze is an airline that definitely passes our Bestie Test.
