We had the lucky opportunity to strike a good deal aboard Breeze Airways on their new Airbus A220. For a total of $99.00 a passenger for first class we could not turn down such a good deal. Being such a new airline, we got a firsthand look at how Breeze Airways stacks up against the competition.
New Kid On The Block
Breeze airways is one of 3 airlines to start at one of the most difficult times in the airline industry. Their inaugural flight commenced May 2021 from Tampa to Charleston, Breeze Airways CEO David Neeleman is no stranger to start up airlines with a portfolio of many popular airlines including Azul, WestJet and JetBlue. Breeze Airways was founded with a purpose of disrupting the airline industry with their unique innovations. For example, Breeze Airways does not have customer service centers, rather direct messaging through their app or text messaging. Many of Breezes routes are to cities that have little to no competition. Some of their routes operate only a few times a week.
Fleet
Initially Breeze Airways began operations with Embraer E195 and E190s. They are mainly secondhand aircraft from previous operators which helped them commence operations more rapidly and cheaper as opposed to ordering brand new aircraft. This year, they began taking deliveries of brand new Airbus A220 aircraft with a rather unique layout. Their first batch of A220s are equipped with 36 first class seats, 10 extra legroom and 80 standard seats. Some newer orders are equipped with 12 first class seats, 45 extra legroom and 80 standard seats. The A220s are equipped where their configurations can be changed rather quickly to meet capacity demands.
Our Flight
We were looking at airline options between the Hartford area and Nashville on September 1st. Breeze Airways offered nonstop service between the two cities for $99.00 a ticket for first class. Our other options from Hartford all required having to make a connection and were significantly more.
The Difficult Booking Process
The initial booking process was rather straightforward. We had three options to choose from when selecting our fare class; Nice, Nicer and Nicest (which gives you access to a 1st class seat at no extra charge). We selected the “Nicest” for our fare. The Breeze Airways website had a simple interface and was transparent about the price structure. A few days after booking we noticed that we had our entire fare returned in Breeze Points. Apparently the airline canceled our tickets even though our flight was still bookable on their website. Since Breeze Airways does not have a customer service call center we had to text their customer support. The customer support agent who texted us indicated that there was a glitch and our tickets were accidently canceled. We were rebooked into our original flight however, Breeze Airways ended up charging us significantly more then what we originally paid for resulting in less breeze points ending up in our account.
Check In And Boarding
The check in process was quick and simple. We already had boarding passes so all we had to do was present our IDs to the ticketing agent and then dropped off our bags. It’s worth noting that if you do not pre pay your baggage prior to check-in, the fee will be more at check in. Boarding was a standard affair with priority boarding followed by group numbers. Since we were in their first class product we boarded in group 1. While we both have TSA Pre-Check and inserted it into our reservation, the boarding passes only printed with one TSA Pre-Check mark. When inquired at the check-in desk the clerk said both showed in the computer, and TSA would be able to see it. This was incorrect information and may have been a system glitch.
Initial first Impressions Of The Seat
Immediately entering the cabin, you get a sense of how spacious the A220 feels with its 2-2 and 3-2 layout. The 1st class seats are in a grey and black scheme with blue accents around the sides and headrest. The seat looked sleek but was already showing some signs of wear and tear. Sitting down we were greeted by leftover goldfish on the seat as well as the seat stowage areas. Under seat storage is limited as the seat supporting bracket runs across portions of the underside of the seat. Despite these minor setbacks there was plenty of room with over 39 inches of seat pitch.
Inflight Meal Service
After departure the crew commenced their meal service. Included in our fare was a water and snack bar. If we wanted anything else we would have to purchase. Compared to other first and business class products, the limited snack options felt quite bare bones. Given that Breeze Airways operates these flights on segments over 4 hours we can not help but wonder if the snack options will differ.
Seat Comfort
We had trouble getting comfortable in these seats. With the foot rest up it would hit the seatback. It felt like there was not enough padding on the seat cushion. It also requires significant force to get the foot rest to stow.
Final Approach
As we descend into Nashville we couldn’t help but feel mixed feelings about our Breeze Airways Experience. The Booking process and issues could have been handled better by their customer service team. We found their First Class product to be in a bit of an identity crisis. Breeze Airways markets this product as first class on their website. We felt this to be somewhere between a premium economy product and Spirit Airlines Big Front Seat Product. We are not sure if this is what Breeze Airways is aiming for. The seat does have flaws but for $99.00 a ticket, for this leg of the trip it was a good value for the money. On longer, more expensive flights we feel like this product may not have as strong of a value.