US carrier Breeze Airways
is looking to expand into transatlantic flights and is considering flights across the Pacific to Hawaii. The airline, which has made a name for itself by connecting underserved markets and secondary cities, is currently in the process of securing the necessary approvals to begin overwater flights with the aim of commencing long-haul services by the end of next year.
Eyes on Hawaii
The carrier is ending the year with a host of new additions to its route network. Breeze Airways added 29 new cities and 89 routes in 2024, resulting in a 50% increase in the number of available seats compared to last year. It benefits from being the only carrier serving many of its city pairs, with a spokesperson confirming today that more than 85% of the airline’s routes right now operate without direct competition.
Up next, the airline is looking to achieve the certification needed for international and transoceanic flights on its fleet of Airbus A220-300
planes. One such certification is ETOPS, short for “Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards,” which determines how long an aircraft can fly from a diversionary airport with only one operable engine in the event of an emergency.
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What Is ETOPS & How Has It Evolved?
Humorously known as “engines turn or passengers swim”, ETOPS has changed aviation regulations along the way.
This is critical for flights over large bodies of water and, once achieved, will open up an entirely new range of possibilities. Speaking to Airline Geeks this month, Founder and CEO David Neeleman indicated that the State of Hawaii is on the shortlist:
“ We have to go to work on ETOPS … because I’d like to go to Hawaii from secondary and tertiary cities, but obviously we need to get that ETOPS done as well.
“When you’re halfway between the West Coast and Hawaii, you’re as far from land as anyone else in the world.”
Photo: SvetlanaSF | Shutterstock
One of the potential launching points for flights to Hawaii is San Francisco International Airport
(SFO). While the carrier typically serves smaller airports, Neeleman confirmed to the San Francisco Business Times that SFO is the airport of choice in the region above options like Oakland and San Jose (which have both lost flights to Hawaii this year) because “SFO is the airport that’s closer to where people want to go. It’s closer to Silicon Valley and closer to downtown San Francisco.”
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What Is Your Favorite San Francisco Bay Area Airport?
Oakland Airport (OAK) in California recently made waves by changing its name to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport to help travelers associate it with the region. Naturally, the titular San Francisco International Airport (SFO) across the bay had something to say about it, but the name change remained.
While SFO is the most well-connected, the area’s other airports all have their fans. In addition to Oakland, the bay is served by Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport (SJC) to the south and Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Santa Rosa to the north. Each area airport has grown in recent months, with STS launching a new route to Salt Lake City this month thanks to Avelo Airlines.
Which airport do you enjoy flying out of, and what makes it stand out above the other options in the Bay area?
Multiple other options in Breeze’s existing network could also serve as gateways to Hawaii. According to Airbus, the airline’s Airbus A220-300s have a range of up to 3,400 nautical miles. This allows for service from Breeze cities like Los Angeles (LAX), San Bernardino (SBD), Orange County/Santa Ana (SNA), San Diego (SAN), and Las Vegas (LAS).
The planes could even reach Breeze’s base in Provo (PVU), Utah, to allow for BreezeThru connections across the nation. When reached for comment today by Simple Flying, airline officials confirmed Hawaii is “under consideration” but did not specify which mainland cities it will use to reach them:
“We’re currently looking at several potential routes when those are approved, however, nothing is set in stone yet.
“Until then, we’re focused on maintaining steady growth in the markets we already serve.”
The carrier also has a small presence at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
(PHX), a city that lost a third of its flights to Maui this year.
Transatlantic Ambitions
Breeze Airways has made no secret its plans to fly across the pond once it secures the flag carrier status needed to operate international flights. More details of potential routes are now available, with Neeleman confirming the airline is looking at flying to secondary cities in the British Isles on a seasonal basis next year.
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Transatlantic On An Airbus A220? Breeze Eyes International Flights In 2025
The carrier hopes to launch international operations in fall 2025.
When asked about the timeline for the long-haul flights, a spokesperson confirmed Breeze Airways hopes to have an update on its Flag Status “In the first half of 2025,” with ETOPS certification arriving sometime thereafter.
Photo: Wenjie Zheng | Shutterstock
A spokesperson for the US Department Of Transportation
was not immediately available for comment when asked about the progress of Breeze’s application.
