Breeze Airlines is a fairly new airline that, at face value, has all the key defining features of a typical budget airline. However, after flying with them, one thing that’s for certain is that Breeze is not just another low-cost carrier. I may even go to the extent of saying that it’s an underdog, deserving of way more attention.

In fact, my first observation after flying with them was that even though Breeze is not very popular as of now, they possess the potential to grow and dominate the budget airline market. I have flown with this airline 2 times and here’s an authentic account of my experience with them, covering both the good and the bad.

Pros of Flying with Breeze Airlines

In the two times that I have flown with Breeze Airlines, I have had uplifting flight experiences. Here are some of the things that stood out to me and made the Breeze airline an excellent choice. These are also the features that made me book a flight for the second time.

Cheap fares

Needless to say, the best thing about any low-cost airline tends to be its affordable fares. What distinguishes Breeze from its competitors is the fact that its ticket prices are not just budget-friendly but objectively cheaper. The average ticket price is $50-100, which is a jackpot for budget-conscious travelers such as myself.

For my first time, I flew from New Haven, United States, to Orlando with their “no flex fare” option. This cost me $39 in total, which was almost unrealistic given that all the other airlines charged at least $50. I landed at the Tampa International Airport, which was around 6 miles away from my destination. 

Breeze Airlines allowed me to fly on a budget without having to spend a large amount. If you want more options in terms of their classes, they also have “nice”, “nicer”, and “nicest”. Another good thing is that they certainly don’t overstate the extent of their services. They don’t use adjectives such as “premium” to falsely advertise their services and set inaccurate customer expectations. When I booked with them, I realized and acknowledged that I was flying with a budget airline’s “no-flex fare” option. This allowed me to appreciate the value for money experience they provided. For instance, I already knew that checked bags would add costs, so I packed my personal items accordingly. 

Other budget and major airlines, despite their business structure, advertise premium services to lure customers, which creates a sense of dissatisfaction when we, the customers, actually see the reality. I found this to be a much better alternative.

Nonstop service

While the cheap fares were the first thing that attracted me to Breeze Airlines, the nonstop flight is what made me stay. If you know anything about Breeze Airlines, you would know that their “direct flights” are somewhat of a unique selling point (USP). This is the thing that distinguishes them from other airlines in that market and positions their service on a higher level, in terms of customer perception.

I, for one, absolutely despise layovers. Every time I have to get off at a midway destination and wait for my next flight, it ruins the travel experience and adds so much more stress. You have to go through security again, wait around at the airport (and sometimes hotels, if the layover is long), and worst of all, your time is wasted. I especially avoid flights with layovers because it’s so much more time-consuming and you lose so much more energy than you normally would in a direct flight. 

With Breeze’s nonstop service, I was able to fly directly from New Haven to Orlando within 3 hours. All I had to do was get on the plane and relax until I reached my destination. For my second flight, I went with priority boarding, which further reduced the time.

Great website 

One thing that I always notice about airlines is the accessibility of their websites and online mediums. If it’s going to take me an hour just to get on their site and check flights, I will automatically form a bad opinion. Fortunately, my experience with Breeze Airlines was nothing like that. Despite being a newer airline, it’s clear that they have prioritized their platform. Their user interface is extremely dependable and easily operational, allowing customers to select flights (and seat selection), see availability, and compare prices before booking. 

Speaking of booking flights, Breeze Airlines makes it very easy for potential customers to sign up and purchase tickets. You can see which days have cheap flights and buy them accordingly. Other than that, the interface also enables you to upgrade, cancel, and redeem flight credit quite easily, which is rare. Most budget airlines invest less in their online platforms, and the mere act of making a profile takes hours. Hence, this was a step up and made my experience with Breeze Airlines a lot better.

In-flight experience 

The Breeze flight experience is subject to more scrutiny than appreciation, but we will discuss that below. Personally, I found the following things to be good during the flight:

• Leg space: As someone who booked the “no flex fare,” i.e, the cheapest option, I was expecting my seating to be a lot more uncomfortable than it actually was. Thankfully, the standard seats had ample leg space, which prevented my legs from cramping. In the three-hour flight, I ended up appreciating this much legroom more than anything.
• Staff and cabin crew: Another amazing thing about Breeze Airlines was their awesome customer service staff. This applied to in-flight cabin crew, flight attendants, as well as the check-in staff, and basically everyone who was a part of Breeze’s staff at the airport. Everyone was extremely nice and helpful, providing help at every turn. In fact, I noticed them being especially considerate of elderly or specially abled fliers. This was refreshing and made me appreciate their service more.
• Other amenities: for my second time with a Breeze airline, I flew economy (nice) and enjoyed some of the amenities which were not available during my very 1st flight (no flex fare). Either way, Breeze offers free messaging as long as you use iMessage or WhatsApp. I didn’t even have to buy wifi to access this service. Other than that, they also offer in-flight entertainment in the form of games and a fairly decent selection of movies.

Cons of Flying with Breeze Airlines

After considering the pros and benefits, it’s safe to say they offer good deals. However, that is not to say that a Breeze airline is without its flaws. Let’s discuss some of the things that came across as unsatisfactory and negatively affected my travel experience. 

Secondary airports

We already discussed that Breeze has unrealistically cheap ticket fares. Well, the opportunity cost of those fares is that you have to deal with getting off at secondary airports. Perhaps the reason why Breeze’s tickets are low cost is because it acquires the services of lesser-known airports.

Personally, this wasn’t a problem for me, but some people may find it difficult to get to the city centre from unknown airports in foreign cities.

Problems with punctuality 

The most dominant problem with Breeze airline flights is their lack of punctuality, leading to the worst experiences. Even though I haven’t personally dealt with this issue, a lot of customers have had a bad experience with their delays. 

My friend, who booked a round-trip flight with Breeze after I recommended it, was not impressed when her flight had some mechanical issues with departure. The flight got delayed, but no one informed her, and on the way back, the return flight left earlier than they had said. These flight changes were not communicated to her, the airline failed to stick to its predefined schedule, and the flight status wasn’t updated. 

Customer support

While the entire customer service staff was very helpful, Breeze lacks in the customer “support” area. They do not provide a phone number where you can call and confirm details or seek answers. Instead, the only possible route to reach agents is via texting. Personally, I believe that this increases the chances of misunderstanding and miscommunication, especially for bilingual passengers. Their new development integrated digital means and chatbots (much like most other service sector businesses). However, this integration creates more complications, and the answers are rarely comprehensive. Needless to say, this is a big problem that reduces customer satisfaction. 

Other cons

• Less flexibility with dates: a downside of flying with Breeze is that most of their flights only depart 3 days a week, meaning you can’t always find tickets as per your preference. I wouldn’t count on Breeze Airlines to have tickets available in emergency situations because their dates are very limited, compared to other airlines. With their limited routes, you can’t expect a lot of flexibility. 
• Uncomfortable seats: while the extra legroom is something that deserves special appreciation, the same can’t be said for the actual comfort of the seats. I picked the window seat but found the armrest to be very uncomfortable, especially in the “no flex fare” flight. The seat was relatively better in the “nice” flight, but it was still not ideal; the back of the seat was stiff, the headrests were annoyingly big, and the tray was way too small. I am guessing there is higher comfort in first-class seats.

Final Thoughts

All in all, if I speak from a subjective point of view, I would say that my travel experience with the Breeze was amazing. In fact, it’s the best experience I have had with a budget airline. The reason why I went for a second time and the reason why I will continue to fly with them is their transparency. Unlike most airlines, they are upfront about everything, and you can expect services that are proportionate to the amount you paid. If you are a budget traveler looking for a decent time and lower prices, then Breeze is the only airline you should trust.

However, objectively, they can improve some of the problems regarding communication. If they had accessible customer support workers, then a lot more customers would be happy and have a great experience! If you are someone who can deal with landing at secondary airports and having less flexibility with the “dates,” then make sure to consider Breeze Airlines for your next trip.

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