Breeze Airways presented its first Airbus A220-300 to the press on Tuesday, part of an order for 80 aircraft placed with Airbus.
The jet, which is still at the US Mobile plant, will start at a delivery rate of one plane a month, according to the low-cost airline.
Breeze’s goal is to put the A220 into service in the 2nd quarter of 2022. Until then, the company expects to have six aircraft in its fleet. The routes where Airbus will operate remain confidential and will only be revealed at the beginning of next year.
But the company founded by David Neeleman has confirmed that the A220 will be placed on long-haul transcontinental flights between cities that do not currently have direct connections.
Although it debuted in May with a fleet of second-hand E-Jets, Breeze bets mainly on the A220-300 as an aircraft capable of making it grow in share.
“The A220-300 is a game-changer for us to add long haul flights that can average five hours, including transcontinental service,” said Neeleman.
Breeze’s Airbus jets will be configured with just 126 seats in three classes of service. There will be 80 standard seats with 2-3 rows, 10 seats with extra legroom and 36 premium seats, in a 2-2 configuration, which the company showed first-hand to guest journalists.
All seats offer USB and power ports, and will feature an internet connection system yet to be announced.
The new premium class will be sold at the ‘Nicest’ rate which includes seats with 39-inches of pitch, 20.5-inches of seat width and special features such as a footrest for added comfort. Breeze promises affordable fares compared to business classes from other airlines.
Breeze currently flies to 16 cities in 13 US states. According to Neeleman, by the end of 2022 the airline will have 15 A220-300 jets that should significantly expand the domestic network.
