Travel

This affordable airline says it will bring at least 20 routes to an R.I. airport

Breeze Airways is putting its base of operations in the Ocean State.

By Christopher Gavin

August 9, 2022

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Breeze Airways, an affordable airline that got its start last year, is expanding its presence at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport, bringing more flights and more jobs to the Ocean State’s air transit hub.

The airline announced Tuesday it selected the Warwick airport (which uses a Providence airport code, PVD) to serve as its base of operations beginning next year — a move that will bring at least 20 routes over a five-year period and as many as 250 full-time jobs.

The news comes just over a year after Breeze began serving the Providence area.

Breeze currently offers five nonstop flights from PVD to Charleston, South Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Norfolk, Virginia; and Richmond, Virginia.

But there are already plans to expand nonstop service to Savannah, Georgia, and Los Angeles’s LAX beginning next year, as well as seasonal service to Columbus, the company said in a news release.

A one-way, low-price-point ticket between PVD and LAX in February 2023 was listed as $124.50 on Breeze’s website Tuesday afternoon.

“Since launching here a year ago, the community, the airport and the state of Rhode Island have fully embraced Breeze — making it one of our fastest growing cities,” Tom Doxey, president of Breeze Airways, said in a statement. “The ease and convenience of flying from PVD perfectly encapsulates our ‘Seriously Nice’ approach to air travel and we’re thrilled to expand our services from T.F. Green in the coming years.”

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said the announcement continues Rhode Island’s “economic momentum.”

“Establishing a base of operations at T. F Green International not only creates more good paying jobs in Rhode Island but also supports our tourism efforts by bringing in new tourists and visitors to our great state which in turn supports our economy,” McKee said in a statement. “I want to thank Breeze for choosing Rhode Island and we stand ready to ensure this is a success.”

Breeze, founded by aviation entrepreneur and JetBlue founder David Neeleman, launched in May 2021 out of Salt Lake City and now boasts 87 nonstop routes between 30 cities across 18 states. The airline focuses on providing “efficient and affordable flights between secondary airports, bypassing hubs for shorter travel times,” according to the company.

Through the expansion, Breeze will be able to operate approximately 20 weekly departures out of Rhode Island by the end of next year, in anticipation of growing to 44 weekly departures by 2027.

Breeze will base up to eight aircraft at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport. The majority of that fleet will consist of the Airbus A-220, which Breeze described as a “brand-new aircraft with industry-leading fuel efficiency.”

Jobs expected at Breeze’s base of operations include pilots, flight attendants, support staff, and maintenance personnel.