US start-up Breeze Airways plans to significantly expand its US West Coast operation next year with new flights on the same routes that competing discounter Avelo Airlines intends to depart this year.
Breeze on 17 July said that in March 2026 it will expand to five cities in the Western USA that it currently does not serve, including Burbank and Arcata in California, Eugene and Redmond in Oregon, and Pasco in Washington.
“Our continued growth is evidence that our unique form of air travel that combines affordability and ease with high-value options like premium seating and in-flight wi-fi is highly desired by today’s travellers,” says Breeze chief executive David Neeleman.
Much of Breeze’s planned expansion targets routes from Hollywood Burbank airport that Avelo intends to exit.
Specifically, Breeze in March plans to begin three-times weekly flights from Burbank to Humboldt County airport near Arcata on California’s northern coast, and two-times weekly flights to Eugene, Pasco and Redmond.
The airline will also expand its operation at Provo in Utah, with plans to fly from there starting in March to Arcata, Burbank, Eugene, Las Vegas, Pasco and Redmond. It will also launch flights from Las Vegas to Redmond.
The expansion comes several days after news broke that Avelo plans to withdraw from the US West Coast by year-end, a major strategic shift away from a geography that has comprised a significant share of its flying.
Houston-based Avelo got off the ground in 2021, with its first flight departing Burbank. That airport has since become a major base for Avelo, which has flown from there to cities including Arcata, Eugene, Pasco and Redmond.
”Our company’s deepest operational roots are in Burbank,” Avelo said days ago of its Burbank withdraw. ”There is rarely one singular reason why decisions like this are made, and this one is no different. We believe the continuation service from Burbank in the current operating environment will not deliver adequate financial returns in a highly competitive backdrop.”
Avelo plans to reduce its Burbank operation to a single aircraft by 12 August and to leave Southern California entirely by 2 December.
”As all our planes that facilitate our West Coast operations are in [Burbank], the closure of the [base] closes the entire West Coast,” said Avelo.
Avelo last year began to focus more intently on its eastern US operations, adding flights from places like New Haven and Hartford in Connecticut, from which Avelo primarily servers southern cities.
“The aircraft in Burbank are expected to support growth in our East Coast bases, where we have significantly more opportunity to continue our path to sustainable cashflow generation,” Avelo said.
Avelo also this year started operating immigrant deportation flights for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, citing weakened demand for low-cost airline seats. That move generated some public backlash.
Avelo and Breeze are both discount airlines that got airborne in 2021. Both target leisure travellers and fly between secondary cities – often only several times weekly – that otherwise lack direct air service.
But while Breeze offers first-class seats, Avelo’s jets have all-economy cabins.
Some US low-cost airlines in recent months have been working to install more premium seats on their jets in response to excess capacity of, and limited demand for, cheap tickets.
Frontier Airlines has shifted away from its all-economy model with plans to install first-class seats on its Airbus jets, while Southwest Airlines is adding extra-legroom economy seats to its Boeing 737s.
