Breeze Airways lands the OK from feds
New Canaan man’s air carrier promises lower trip costs
David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue Airways, won federal approval to launch Breeze Airways, which promises smaller planes and lower trip costs aimed at reaching smaller cities.
Developed in Darien and headquartered in Utah, Breeze’s initial fleet consists of more than 20 passenger jets, with plans to expand.
“As major airlines have consolidated and concentrated their efforts at fortress hubs, entire segments of the country have seen their air travel options diminish — reachable only through connections and the corresponding increased travel times,” the company stated in its Feb. 2020 application to the Dept. of Transportation. “As a result, smaller cities have suffered through a sustained reduction in service . ... By flying a smaller plane with a lower trip cost, Breeze believes there are hundreds and hundreds of city pairs crying out for nonstop flights.”
In its DOT application, Breeze listed a Darien office building just off Interstate-95 as its corporate headquarters, but in other public documents has continued to list Salt Lake City as its main locale.
Without delving into specifics on Thursday, Connecticut’s economic development chief David Lehman said the state had had conversations with the company prior to the choice of Utah for Breeze Airways’ main office. In addition to JetBlue, Connecticut was previously home to Virgin Atlantic and the cargo carrier
Southern Air, which both had U.S. headquarters in Norwalk.
Neeleman built up JetBlue in Darien during his run as CEO through 2008, with the carrier based today in New York City. Launching operations in February 2000 — with a focus on budget rates and amenities like extra leg room and TV screens for each seat — the carrier was among a small cohort of upstarts to upstage the industry’s old guard.
Another upstart, Southwest Airlines, is now the third largest North American carrier today after American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, with JetBlue ranking seventh.
At the time Breeze filed its DOT application a year ago, airlines globally were confronted with routes being cut off and people staying home to contain the spiraling threat of COVID-19. Still, Breeze was able to raise $87 million in capital last year as it pursued DOT approval and finalized lease contracts on jets in its startup fleet.
In its original DOT application, Breeze indicated plans to lease Embraer airplanes in advance of a new fleet to be built in Mobile, Ala. by Airbus, with the A220-300 powered by jet engines from the East Hartfordbased Pratt & Whitney subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. The company will conduct maintenance at hangars in Islip, N.Y. and Nashville, Tenn.
Breeze, which touts “kindness” in its message, has posted little information to date on its website beyond a stated focus on keeping travel simple, affordable and convenient. The airline is currently hiring outside Salt Lake City, which it designated its headquarters in Dec. 2019, after receiving a tax incentive package from the state.
In a video chat snippet with Norwalk Community College students posted this month by the college’s foundation, Neeleman said it all starts with the employees.
“All I think about are ... the people that work for me — because I know if I take care of them, then they’ll take care of my customers, and my customers will take care of my shareholders,” Neeleman said. “Sometimes companies get all that backwards . ... The goal was to make people think this was the best job they ever had, and also when they got up in the morning they didn’t dread going to work.”
Neeleman listed his New Canaan mansion for sale last summer, cutting the price slightly to $7.8 million after no immediate takers surfaced — despite a major influx of wealthy New York City residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. It remains among the three priciest New Canaan estates on the market not currently under contract to be sold.