Breeze Airways Continues Expansion

Breeze Airways, the upstart low-budget carrier that debuted last year, continues to expand.

Breeze CEO David Neeleman, who founded JetBlue, and Breeze Chief Commercial Officer Lukas Johnson told USA Today that the airline plans to open operations in Orange County, California, at John Wayne Airport, after winning takeoff and landing slots there.

“We went in and made a good case that we could do something different,” Neeleman said. “The airport authority agreed with us.”

The move will take place in February of 2023, and flights will depart from Orange County to Orlando and to Breeze’s headquarters in Provo, Utah.

“We wanted to do something different to offer the community something they’ve never had access to before,” Johnson told the news outlet. “They have very little (transcontinental) service despite being a premium airport.”

Breeze’s modus operandi is to utilize smaller airports and secondary markets, such as Provo, and connect to bigger markets. Although Orange County is considered a secondary market to Los Angeles International, it nonetheless is a big presence for Breeze and a nice coup for John Wayne Airport.

“Today marks both our 100th nonstop and our 34th destination with the addition of Orange County,” Breeze Airways’ president Tom Doxey said in a statement. “I can’t think of a better way to commemorate this milestone than for the ‘nicest airline’ to connect two of the ‘happiest places on earth.’”