Breeze Airways, the newest low-fare airline in Jacksonville, began service Thursday afternoon to the New York area.
Breeze will fly from Jacksonville International Airport to Westchester County Airport on Saturdays, Sundays and Thursdays. The airline describes Westchester County Airport, 30 miles north of Manhattan, as an alternative to New York City's bigger, congested airports.
Breeze now flies to four destinations from Jacksonville: Hartford, Connecticut; Las Vegas; New Orleans; and Westchester. But that's only half the cities announced earlier.
In March, Breeze announced it also was planning flights to Columbus, Ohio; Providence, Rhode Island; Norfolk, Virgina; and Richmond, Virginia.
A Breeze spokesman told WJCT News on Thursday that some routes were delayed because of difficulty obtaining aircraft. "But we're always growing. So I'm sure they'll be announced in the new year," he said.
Breeze also cited "supply chain issues" when the Las Vegas flight began a month later than expected. The Westchester flights come more than three months later than originally announced.
For Westchester, Breeze is offering a promotional fare of $49 each way. Tickets must be purchased by Oct. 31 for travel from Nov. 1 to Feb. 14, with purchase at least seven days in advance. Tickets are available at Breeze's website.
Breeze markets itself as the "Seriously Nice Airline," with fare levels labeled Nice, Nicer and Nicest. The higher levels include perks like more leg room, a carry-on bag, a checked bag, and a snack and drink.
Breeze founder and CEO David Neeleman also founded JetBlue Airways. He has 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."
The Jacksonville flights were part of a nationwide expansion announced in March.
