Airline start-up Breeze adds cross-country flights from Westchester

Breeze Airways plans to add eight flights, including service to California, from Westchester County Airport in New York, a bet that the start-up can win over suburbanites seeking to avoid a trip to the New York City area’s large hubs.

The airline, launched by JetBlue Airways founder David Neeleman, is offering nonstop routes from Westchester to Los Angeles; San Francisco; Charleston, South Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; Savannah, Georgia; and Norfolk, Virginia. It will also offer a flight with one stop to New Orleans.

The announcement comes a month after Breeze Airways said it would nearly double its network this year. The Westchester flights are part of a strategy from upstarts like Breeze and Avelo Airlines to capitalize on demand from travelers in smaller cities.

“They want to go nonstop, and they want to do it more efficiently,” Breeze CEO Neeleman said in an interview.

Neeleman said the strategy is focused on leisure travelers, noting that many business travelers prioritize airlines that offer multiple frequencies as well as frequent flyer status.

Breeze Airways plans to use its Airbus A220-300s on the cross-country routes, which include 36 first-class seats.

The carrier is also adding service from Hartford’s Bradley International Airport to Las Vegas, its eighth route from the Connecticut airport.

Leslie Josephs www.cnbc.com