JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Breeze Airways’ inaugural flight touched down at Jacksonville International Airport from Richmond, Virginia Thursday. It’s the first of what will soon be eight direct flights offered by the startup airline.
Breeze will fly non-stop to Columbus, New Orleans, Providence, Norfolk, Hartford, Westchester, and Las Vegas by September. However, most routes start in late May to early June.
The airline, which was founded by the same man who started JetBlue, has orders for one new aircraft expected to arrive every month for the next six years. The company expects to have 80 total aircraft in the next six years and serve destinations country-wide eventually.
But several media reports show the airline has had a bumpy ride to Jacksonville. Breeze scaled back flights in several other cities, sometimes within weeks of launching. It slashed flights in Charleston, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and New Orleans to name a few.
Most recently, the airline canceled flights from Providence to Jacksonville. Breeze announced flights between both destinations in March and within weeks it canceled all scheduled flights in June.
The airline said it will fully refund customers or offer a chance to rebook.
Action News Jax’s Robert Grant asked one of the airline’s top directors at JIA Thursday about the issue.
“We tried to adjust our schedule based upon available crews, based upon available aircraft, and also we’re watching the fuel prices very carefully. So we did dial back a few flights temporarily. But long term after June, you’re going to see a lot of flights here to eight destinations,” Brian McCormick, the director of Airport Properties, Facilities & Contract Services, said.
In a statement to Twitter, the airline said in part, “Due to necessary government certification for our new planes, we’ve experienced some schedule changes in June.”
The airline is expected to get $1 million in city funding. A bill for the money is set to go before the council for its…