Breeze Airways debuts in travel rebound, the second new US airline in a month

Airlines scrambling to capitalize on a rebound in travel as the pandemic wanes in the US have yet another competitor in the skies. Breeze Airways, a new airline started by JetBlue Airways’ founder David Neeleman, started selling tickets on Friday. It is the second US carrier to debut in about a month. Neeleman’s fifth airline, Breeze Airways is offering fares that start at $39, for routes it says are underserved around the US. Flights begin May 27, just before Memorial Day weekend, with service from Charleston, South Carolina, to Tampa, Florida, and Hartford, Connecticut. It plans to operate 39 routes by July 22, including Charleston to Columbus, Ohio, New Orleans and Huntsville, Alabama. Breeze will use 10 all-economy class Embraer E-190 jets with 108 seats and three E-195 planes with 118 seats. Other routes, which will be added in July, include service from New Orleans to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Louisville, Kentucky. “Covid’s been really tough on our industry, but we’ve been able to take advantage of low aircraft prices,” Neeleman said Friday. “We have really low prices. We’re flying routes that really haven’t been flown nonstop, really, ever, and with really low trip costs.” Breeze says it won’t charge fees for changing or canceling flights. Major carriers got rid of change fees during the pandemic for standard economy tickets in an effort to win back travelers. The start-up will charge $20 for checked or carry-on bags.<br/>