I flew on Breeze’s Embraer 190 aircraft from Charleston to Hartford and the product proved that low-cost does not mean sacrificing comfort

Taylor Rains/Insider, Thomas Pallini/Insider

• Low-cost carrier Breeze Airways flew its first flight in May 2021 using an Embraer 195 aircraft.
• The airline has updated the interiors of its fleet since that inaugural flight with new seats and amenities.
• I flew on one of Breeze’s Embraer 190 jets from Charleston to Hartford and see how low-cost does not have to mean poor comfort.

Breeze Airways is one of the US’s newest low-cost carriers.Breeze Airways A220.

Breeze Airways

The airline was founded by airline entrepreneur David Neeleman, who also founded JetBlue Airways; Brazil-based Azul; Canadian budget carrier WestJet; and Morris, which merged with Southwest Airlines.JetBlue A321neo.

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Neeleman’s vision for Breeze is to offer low fares and connect medium-sized markets that do not currently have nonstop service.Breeze counter in Hartford on its first day of operations.

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“We can get you there twice as fast for half the price,” the CEO likes to say.The inaugural flight of David Neeleman’s Breeze Airways.

Thomas Pallini/Insider

The carrier launched its maiden flight on May 27, 2021, ferrying passengers from Tampa to Charleston using an all-economy Embraer 195 aircraft. The company also flies Embraer 190s.Breeze CEO David Neeleman with an Embraer jet during the inaugural flight in May 2021.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I flew on JetBlue founder’s David Neeleman’s new airline and saw how it’s nothing like his old one — but it isn’t supposed to be

Insider was on the inaugural flight and experienced the fleet’s original product, which featured large plush seats but not much else.The inaugural flight of David Neeleman’s Breeze Airways.

Thomas Pallini/Insider

I flew on Breeze, the ‘tech company that happens to fly airplanes’ from JetBlue founder David Neeleman, and found it surprisingly low-tech

Since then, the carrier has improved its fleet by retrofitting its Embraer jets with new interiors and even adding a new plane type — the Airbus A220, which it flies on transcontinental routes.Breeze’s A220 after flying from Richmond to San Francisco.

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After being on the company’s first-ever flight and being slightly underwhelmed at the product, I was eager to see if the new cabin was any better. So, I booked a ticket from Charleston to Hartford to see the changes — here’s what it was like.

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My flight to Connecticut started at 7:30 a.m. at Charleston International Airport. Because I was flying home from Las Vegas via Charleston, I did not have to visit the ticket counter or clear security.

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After deplaning my inbound flight, which was on the carrier’s swanky new Airbus A220, I had about three hours to kill and decided to spend it at the Priority Pass lounge. I enjoyed several cups of coffee and a free breakfast before making my way to the gate.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I flew on Breeze’s brand new Airbus A220 from Richmond to San Francisco in first class and it completely exceeded my expectations

At the gate, I learned the flight was delayed about an hour, which was starting to become a theme with Breeze. My previous flight was also delayed but by about 10 hours.Breeze gate in Las Vegas where I was delayed.

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I flew on Breeze’s new A220 jet from Las Vegas to Charleston in economy and it was nothing like flying on a typical low-cost carrier

Despite the frustration, I knew that summer travel is going to be hectic for all airlines this year, but I hope Breeze does more to keep its flights running on schedule. My delays were due to maintenance and staffing, which are in the carrier’s control.The inbound flight to Las Vegas was delayed due to staffing, then had another delay in Vegas due to maintenance.

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After the one-hour delay, we started boarding zone by zone. I was in Zone 1, so I was one of the first people on the plane.

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The first thing I noticed when I boarded was the 2×2 configuration, meaning no one would be stuck in the dreaded middle seat.

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I made my way to seat 9F, which was a window seat in the “Nicer” section. Nicer seats are Breeze’s extra-legroom offering, boasting 32+ inches of pitch.

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I could easily fit in the seat with plenty of room to spare. I’m only 5’3″ and on the smaller side, so I fit in most airline seats, but even taller and larger passengers should still be comfortable.

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Breeze also offers “Nice” seats that are standard economy rows with 30 inches of pitch. This is more than competing airlines like Spirit and Frontier, which only offer 28-29 inches.Breeze “Nice” seats.

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I flew in the regular economy seat on the way to Charleston and found it perfectly roomy as well, but suggest taller passengers upgrade to an extra-legroom seat if possible.

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Breeze’s A220 planes also offer first class, which is a large lounger that has a leg rest and deep recline, but the seat isn’t available on its Embraer aircraft.

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While I did have a Nicer seat, I only purchased a Nice fare, which includes a personal item, but no free snack, assigned seat, or carry-on.Breeze fares.

Breeze Airways

However, Breeze allows customers to pay extra for amenities they want, so I upgraded the seat. The fee to book an assigned seat on the Embraer jet ranges from $10-$30 depending on the route and section

Taylor Rains/Insider

Embraer’s seat sections were completely different from the original product. Not only were they slimmer, but also they were color-coded — red for Nicer and yellow for Nice.

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I missed the old plush seats from the inaugural, but was very impressed with the improved amenities, like a large tray table…

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…good recline…

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…big seatback pockets…

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…and a place to prop a smartphone or tablet on the seatback. This is perfect for streaming entertainment, and I appreciate being able to look forward at a screen rather than down at a laptop.

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While customers can come prepared with their own pre-downloaded content, Breeze’s Embraer jets have a free onboard portal available for travelers to stream TV shows, like “Bob’s Burgers” or “Modern Family.”

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After takeoff, the flight attendants started the inflight service. Having a Nice fare meant I did not get any complimentary snacks or drinks, but I brought my own water for the 90-minute flight.

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Nicer fares do come with a complimentary snack and drink. There are also options available to buy onboard, like Pringles and alcohol.

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Halfway through the flight, I made my way to the lavatory, which was a good size for the plane. It actually felt bigger than the one on United’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The bathroom was clean and had a changing table for families.

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I spent the rest of the journey enjoying the inflight entertainment before landing in Hartford around 1 p.m., which was about 45 minutes later than scheduled.

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Despite the delay, I really enjoyed Breeze’s Embraer product. The recline and inflight entertainment alone make the cabin easily outshine competitors’.Breeze’s inflight portal.

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Neither Spirit nor Allegiant offer reclining seats, much less free streaming. Customers will only get a small tray table and seatback pocket. Frontier has a few rows of reclining seats for an extra fee.Spirit Airlines economy seat.

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Breeze, however, did not have WiFi available onboard, which is something Spirit has added to its planes, to its credit. Granted, it took years to finally install.Spirit’s plans include browsing for $3.99 and streaming for $6.99.

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While Breeze’s Embraers will likely never get WiFi installed, the A220s should be equipped in the future, which is perfect for business travelers on the go.Breeze Airways’ inaugural A220 taking off from Richmond.

Breeze Airways