Breeze Airways and Avelo Airlines add new destinations

Breeze Airways, the upstart budget carrier that began flying last year in the U.S., is significantly expanding its previously modest route schedule.

The airline, started by JetBlue founder David Neeleman, is adding 35 routes in 10 new cities between now and the end of August, according to USA Today.

When completed, the expansion will almost double the number of Breeze flights from 42 to 77, and will total 28 destinations up from 18.

The new cities that Breeze will fly into include Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Nashville and Jacksonville. That will include the airline’s first cross-country flights: Charleston, S.C. to San Francisco, Syracuse to Las Vegas, and Providence to Los Angeles.

In keeping with its mantra of using smaller, secondary – or generally underserved – airports, Breeze’s foray into Los Angeles will be as the first commercial airline to fly out of San Bernardino International Airport. San Bernardino is about 60 miles east of Las Angeles, albeit a straight shot driving on the I-10 freeway.

“We generally always – 95 people of the time – try and find routes where there’s people flying or that people would fly if the fares were better and the service was more convenient,” Neeleman said in an interview with USA Today.

Both Breeze and Avelo entered an already competitive low-budget market last year, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic no less, but after some early speedbumps, both appear to be progressing. They were later joined by another new entry, Aha!, which services mostly western cities.

Avelo, in fact, is also adding new routes.

According to the aviation blog The Points Guy, Avelo is adding three new destinations out of its east coast base at Tweed Airport in New Haven, Conn.

Avelo will now fly to Baltimore-Washington International, Chicago Midway, and Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina starting on May 26.