Breeze Airways, founded by airline entrepreneur David Neeleman, is actively in pursuit of pursuing of launching flights to Hawaii. Neeleman, known for his innovative approach with JetBlue and WestJet, has his own history with Hawaii routes through his prior involvement with the now-defunct Hawaii Express. Breeze Airways aims to bring its unique low-cost yet premium service model to the Hawaiian market, leveraging Neeleman’s extensive experience and previous endeavors in our region. We first wrote about Breeze coming to Hawaii more than a year ago.
Update. As pointed out in your comments, and in a statement recently by Breeze, the airline will require ETOPS certifications for Hawaii flights. How long that will take isn’t entirely clear. But Hawaii ETOPS takes time, as Southwest learned when it started flights here. Breeze said, “Our longest route is Providence, Rhode Island, to LAX. That’s 2,600 statute miles. Go any further and you have to get ETOPS to fly over water.” Hawaii flights require ETOPS-180 certification.
Breeze has received FAA approval for International Supplemental Operations and is next awaiting its full “flag: status as an international carrier. FlightGlobal reported that the airline believes it will achieve that later this summer, opening the door to a very exciting winter season including international, and perhaps Hawaii flights. At the same time, Simple Flying said, what Beat of Hawaii had previously indicated, which is that Breeze will seek Hawaii flights. They reported, “Lukas Johnson, Breeze’s Chief Commercial Officer, said that the Caribbean would be the first international destination in the future, followed by Hawaii.”
What are the potential new Breeze Hawaii routes?
While specific dates and routes remain unconfirmed thus far, the possibilities are indeed intriguing. Notably, John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County and San Bernardino (SBD) could be potential launch points for Hawaii flights that have no competition. These airports are currently not served for Hawaii routes, although Orange County has previous had flights to Hawaii. These offer promising alternatives to the busy hubs like LAX and SFO, which are already over-saturated. Direct flights from these airports to Hawaii could provide travelers with highly requested, more convenient and less congested options, potentially making them extremely popular.
Just a handful of your many comments about Orange County to Hawaii flights.
“Would Gladly pay extra for the convenience of flying in and out of OC (John Wayne) Airport. The airlines could try it out and price tickets accordingly in order to make a nice profit.” Southwest airlines, add John Wayne to Maui.” “RIP, Aloha! I will never forget the nonstop flights from John Wayne Airport (Orange County) to Lihue, Kauai. Sweet!” Please use John Wayne; happily pay a little extra for convenience.”
Breeze aircraft and comfort.
Breeze’s fleet of over 30 Airbus A220 aircraft, with their extended range and larger-plane comfort features, are well-liked and suited for the journey to Hawaii. These planes, already popular with airlines especially for their efficiency, could provide a competitive edge in the Hawaii travel market. The A220’s ability to fly longer distances without compromising on passenger experience makes it a fascinating choice for potential Breeze Hawaii routes.
A history of ambition and Hawaii.
Neeleman’s previous ventures, including the prior Hawaii Express, highlight his longstanding interest in connecting mainland U.S. travelers with Hawaii. Breeze’s entry into the Hawaii market could significantly impact the competitive landscape, particularly with its focus on providing cost-effective, potentially unique travel options. Neeleman’s track record suggests that Breeze could bring innovative services and competitive pricing, further benefiting travelers.
Implications for Hawaii travelers.
If Breeze Airways does as it intends, and successfully establishes Hawaii routes, it could mean more choices and potentially lower fares for travelers. The addition of new routes from underutilized airports would also help distribute passenger traffic more evenly, alleviating some of the congestion at major hubs. This could make traveling to Hawaii more accessible and enjoyable for a many passengers.
Conclusion
As Breeze Airways continues to explore and develop its plans, travelers and industry watchers alike should stay tuned for further updates. Breeze’s potential entry into the Hawaii market is a development worth monitoring, promising new and exciting ways to reach the beautiful Hawaiian Islands. For the latest news on this and other Hawaiian travel updates, keep an eye on Beat of Hawaii.
Breeze, Plzzz pick up a route to/from ITO!!!
It would amazing if they could offer a nonstop flight to Hilo. Definitely an underserved market!
I sense overcapacity coming.
GoForRide,
I sure hope so. Right now, the airlines/hotels think they have us by the ….. and are blasting costs into the stratosphere.
Nothing lasts forever. Just as they think they are in the drivers seat, they may find otherwise.
Aloha,
Rod
Has anyone found out if Breeze has formally filed for its ETOPS certification? If I recall correctly, SWA filed for theirs but it took two to three years for them to get the certification to fly ETOPS 180. While it is not impossible to get it in a short amount of time, the likelihood of it happening that quickly is not promising. Especially these days when safety scrutiny by a emboldened FAA is checking every box before approving anything.
Hi Stan.
We too looked for the answer to that but so far haven’t found it.
Aloha.
As a physician in Orange County, I see patients every day who visit Hawaii regularly yet there are no flights from Orange County. Many of us live an hour or more away from LAX or San Diego airport. Having Direct flights from Orange County to not just Oahu, but also the neighboring islands, would be fantastic.
Very doubtful there would be flights to Hawaii any time soon. The airplane would require ETOPS certification to fly over water for long periods of time and that would take a long time to accomplish.
SNA-HNL/OGG/KOA/LIH are all being planned because each Hawaii slot SNA awards an airline comes with a domestic slots for each flight so they can reposition their crew and equipment accordingly. So Breeze would not only get 4 Hawaii slots but 4 additional Domestic slots.
In addition to SNA they’re also planning BUR-Hawaii. The A220 economics make both of these routes profitable and the aircraft wouldn’t have the weight restrictions that Aloha suffered out of SNA& BUR or United out of SNA.
Both these markets are on WN MAX7 ETOPS short list but Boeing certification delays might just give Breeze the window of opportunity to capture the market well before WN get a chance.
The 2 – 3 seating configuration is encouraging,
but I will be surprised if they are still in business 5 years from now.
Any future information on inter-island flights. Mokulele Airlines is the only inter-island service. Flights are delayed or cancelled, prices have gone up and the service has gone down.
All this focus on flight competition, yet accommodations are absurdly priced. You could literally fly for free today, but the costs of the exact same condo I’ve stayed in on Kauai 2x now would alone, cost 3x more than the entire last trip over in 2017 (that’s flights, condo and Jeep) .. Yes, I know inflation, blah blah blah, but it’s not just the condo that’s gone through the roof. I’m all for better competition in the flights, but I’d rather see these airlines fight with better experiences, not just be “Spirit Long Haul”, which is exactly how Southwest felt last October to Kona. Either way, as long as this anti tourism governor keeps messing with what it costs to come patronize their beautiful islands, I’ll pass.
Aloha! How does another airline improve the local economy especially the severe shortage of housing? More visitors and more traffic congestion. The demographic incomes only causes more animosity between the haves and have nots.
Local people working their asses off holding two and three jobs just to survive. Here comes the visitors often having demanding attitudes of, “…serve me, I am on vacation…and I want to pay the least of service cost…!”
Disregarding safety or off limit signs, etc. My two cents.
Mahalo’s
C’mon Sam let’s not forget about the visitors who leave their burned up cars and appliances on the side of the road! Yes it’s sad that for whatever reason some people have to work 2-3 jobs just to make ends meet but perhaps if there were a lot less tourists, as you seem to hope for, there’d be even fewer jobs! Yes I’m sure some tourists are demanding and complain about things, just as there are some locals who don’t follow all the safety rules and do as they wish as well. Remember, those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
This would be good for the Hawaiian Airlines / Alaska Airlines merger.
Our siblings all live in the OC and would love to fly direct to Maui from John Wayne. We invite them regularly to stay with us on our trips but they always have to deal with the pain of LAX. Even the SWA flights from Long Beach are no longer direct flights. We would consider flying to SNA instead of OAK if the price is right! Or maybe they would consider RNO, our home airport- nothing is direct from home🥺
I’ll be interested to give them a try. But how does leaving from a not crowded airport help when the flight arrives at a crowded HNL?
Is the incompetent Gov Green welcome even more tourists?
Direct flights from the Palmdale airport would help ease ground traffic in the LA area.
Hard pass. I still have 4 unused Hawaii Express tickets, left over from their bankruptcy.
I do hope that it breathes comes to Hawaii. They include Hilo international airport. There’s no direct flights to the mainland from here and we always have to drive to Kona. It’s horrible.I’m