Fast Response to Market Alternative
Losing no time in any respect, Breeze Airways has jumped in to fill the hole Avelo will depart behind because it pulls out of a number of West Coast markets later this yr. It’s a daring transfer that matches proper in with Breeze’s fast-paced progress plans.
Lower than 48 hours after Avelo revealed plans to stop operations at a number of airports by early December, Breeze confirmed it will add service to 4 of the deserted cities, efficient March 2026. This enlargement will mark Breeze’s first foray into the Pacific Northwest and assist the service transfer nearer to its objective of serving 150 cities by 2030, as outlined by CEO David Neeleman earlier this yr.
The brand new locations embody:
California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport (ACV) | Eureka/Arcata, CA
Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) | Burbank, CA
Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) | Pasco, WA
Eugene Airport (EUG) | Eugene, OR
Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM) | Bend/Redmond, OR
Avelo flights to Eugene and Redmond will finish on 1 December, whereas service to Eureka, Pasco, and Burbank will finish the next day.
Along with choosing up Avelo’s routes, Breeze is introducing three new routes to present markets:
Provo Airport (PVU) to Harry Reid Worldwide Airport (LAS)
Louis Armstrong New Orleans Worldwide Airport (MSY) to LAS
MSY to Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX)
Breeze Steps in with New Routes and Frequencies
Breeze’s new West Coast routes will begin in March 2026, with the next schedules:
BUR to RDM: 2x weekly, from 13 March
BUR to PSC: 2x weekly, from 18 March
BUR to ACV: 3x weekly, from 12 March
BUR to EUG: 2x weekly, from 19 March
RDM to LAS: 2x weekly, from 13 March
PVU to BUR: 5x weekly, from 11 March (not a former Avelo route)
These new routes assist Breeze follow what it does greatest: serving smaller, typically neglected airports. By including locations like Bend, Eugene, and Pasco, the airline is staying true to its low-cost, point-to-point mannequin, providing inexpensive nonstop flights with out the trouble of busy, congested hubs.
It’s fascinating to notice that BUR holds some symbolic worth for Avelo because it was dwelling to the airline’s first-ever flight and served as one in all its primary bases. It will likely be fascinating to see if Breeze bolsters its presence at BUR to the purpose the place it may grow to be a base like Avelo had there. Proper now, other than Provo close to Salt Lake Metropolis (which is near Breeze’s headquarters in Cottonwood Heights), all its crew bases are again east.
Markets Left Behind by Avelo’s Retreat
Whereas Breeze is stepping in to serve most of Avelo’s deserted markets, 4 cities is not going to see Breeze service:
Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Santa Rosa, CA
Rogue Valley Worldwide Medford Airport (MFR) in Medford, OR
Glacier Park Worldwide Airport (FCA) in Kalispell, MT
Salem-Willamette Valley Airport (SLE) in Portland/Salem, OR
Notably, SLE might be left with out industrial air service altogether. Nonetheless, its proximity to Portland Worldwide Airport (PDX), simply over an hour away, considerably lessens the impression. STS, MFR, and FCA retain service from different carriers and will very effectively grow to be a part of Breeze’s route map because it continues to broaden its fleet within the years to return.
In a separate transfer, Breeze has quietly dropped Plattsburgh Worldwide Airport in New York from its listing of locations, suggesting it received’t be returning. Whereas the airline had beforehand referred to as it a “break,” this now seems extra like a everlasting exit. The change probably has to do with continued challenges available in the market, particularly with fewer vacationers crossing the border between the U.S. and Canada. Usually marketed as “Montréal’s US Airport” due to its shut proximity, Plattsburgh is now solely served by Allegiant Air, which flies to Florida, and Contour Airways, which connects to Washington Dulles (IAD).
Fleet Enlargement Fuels Breeze Development
Breeze’s means to grab this chance stems from its ongoing fleet enlargement. The service presently operates 54 plane, together with 43 Airbus A220-300s and 11 Embraer ERJ 190s, with 46 in lively service, per planespotters.web. The A220-300s, with a median age of simply 2.1 years, kind the spine of Breeze’s fashionable, fuel-efficient fleet. Earlier this yr, Breeze stated it anticipated to take supply of 16 new A220s by the top of 2025. Seven have already arrived, with 9 extra on the best way earlier than the top of the yr. This regular stream of latest plane provides Breeze the capability to assist further routes and flight frequencies whereas protecting operations environment friendly.
It’s additionally value mentioning that whereas Breeze and Avelo have comparable enterprise fashions in that they don’t provide day by day service on most routes, Breeze sometimes operates fewer flights between metropolis pairs than Avelo did. Moreover, Avelo’s Boeing 737-700s, which it makes use of for its West Coast operation, seat 149 passengers. Breeze’s Airbus A220s are available barely smaller, with 137 seats.
Nonetheless, we’re certain the affected communities will take wins anyplace they’ll get them.
The Silver Lining to Avelo’s Pullback
Breeze was fast to pounce after Avelo’s pullback, displaying simply how nimble it may be within the cutthroat low-cost airline recreation. By specializing in secondary airports, Breeze sidesteps head-to-head battles with the massive carriers and appeals to budget-conscious vacationers who need straightforward, nonstop flights that begin and finish in airports that aren’t the dimensions of a rustic. Nonetheless, the truth that it left out a few of Avelo’s soon-to-be-abandoned routes exhibits it’s being choosy–and rightfully so. The airline business, in spite of everything, is a enterprise. And it is sensible for airways to decide on markets that higher match their technique or present extra promise.
Founder David Neeleman’s objective of flying to 150 locations by 2030 is lofty, but it surely’s not out of attain. Breeze’s rising fleet and its guess on the fuel-efficient A220-300 give it the instruments to maintain prices low and scale up in a manner that is sensible.
As Breeze integrates these new routes, we are going to watch intently to see how the service balances progress with profitability. We by no means prefer to see a metropolis lose air service–one thing that has been all too frequent in small– to midsize American cities since 2020. But when there’s a silver lining in Avelo’s West Coast retreat, it’s that almost all of its former passengers can have a brand new low-cost choice due to Breeze Airways.
