Discount air carrier Breeze Airways is launching nonstop service from Jacksonville to seven cities across the U.S., including Las Vegas.
Breeze also will fly from Jacksonville International Airport to Columbus, Ohio; Hartford, Connecticut; New Orleans; Providence, Rhode Island; Norfolk, Virgina; and Richmond, Virginia.
The cheapest introductory fares to most of the cities start at $49 or $59. Introductory Las Vegas fares start at $99. There is no penalty to cancel or reschedule.
Breeze also offers a more expensive fare that includes more leg room, a carry-on bag, a checked bag, and a snack and drink. Those fares start at $89 — or $189 for Las Vegas.
Flights are available at Breeze's website.
Jacksonville leaders hailed Breeze as a spark for tourism. "To say we are excited about this announcement would be putting it mildly,” Michael Corrigan, president and CEO of Visit Jacksonville, said in a news release.
Mark VanLoh, CEO of the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, described Breeze's arrival as "the single largest air service announcement in the airport’s history." He called it "a game changer for Northeast Florida."
Breeze, the 10th carrier serving JAX, markets itself as the "Seriously Nice Airline," with fare levels labeled Nice, Nicer and Nicest. The Jacksonville flights are part of a nationwide expansion of 35 routes and 10 cities announced Tuesday.
Breeze founder and CEO David Neeleman, who also founded JetBlue Airways, said Breeze aims to serve underserved markets — "so you don’t have to drive long distances or fly through connecting hubs. With Breeze, we’ll get there twice as fast, for about half the price."
Service from Jacksonville will not start all at once. Here's the schedule:
- Richmond — May 19.
- Columbus, New Orleans, Providence and Norfolk — May 27.
- Hartford — June 3.
- Las Vegas — Aug. 5.
Breeze also serves airports in Tampa, Fort Myers, Sarasota/Bradenton and West Palm Beach. Flights from Jacksonville will not travel nonstop to those cities.
At a news conference announcing the service, Mayor Lenny Curry said he will ask City Council for $1 million as an incentive and marketing assistance for Breeze.
“These flights will tap an unserved market to major cities,” Curry said. “They currently have no direct flights to or from Jacksonville including our sister military cities like Norfolk. Virginia. This is also one step closer to a goal that I and others have to have a direct flight to San Francisco at some point.”
