RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – A new low-fare airline from JetBlue is adding five new routes from Richmond International Airport this summer, including west coast travel on sale for less than $100 each way.
Breeze Airways, which currently has four existing destinations, will now fly nonstop from Richmond to 10 cities.
These are the five new routes:
- Jacksonville, FL (starting May 19, from $39 one way)
- San Francisco, CA (May 25, from $99 one way)
- Hartford, CT (June 3, from $39 one way)
- Las Vegas, NV (June 9, from $99 one way)
- Providence, RI (June 30, from $39 one way)
“This is huge news, probably a one-day record in terms of new routes announced from this market,” said Troy Bell, a spokesman for the Richmond International Airport.
The announcement comes eight months to the day from when the airline was first announced with flights to and from Richmond.
“We’ve had 50,000 people come through this airport on Breeze Airways,” said Wayne Hazzard, Chairman of the Capital Region Airport Commission. “That says a lot.”
The expansion also hopes to rejuvenate the business travel to and from the area, which was hindered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the announcement comes as fuel prices continue to increase in light of the war in Ukraine and as the COVID-19 surge dwindles.
Breeze’s Found and CEO David Neeleman said some of the routes would address the rise in jet fuel prices by using a new A220 aircraft.
“The A220-300 is a game-changer for us as we now add long haul flights and transcontinental service,” Neeleman said. “The Airbus aircraft embodies the Breeze ideal of merging kindness with technology, pairing unrivaled passenger comfort with eco-friend efficiency. With the A220, Breeze is giving our Guests the widest cabin, highest ceiling, largest windows, and biggest overhead stowage in this class, while still managing to burn 25% less fuel, with half the noise footprint of past generations.”
Breeze started flying from Richmond and Norfolk last summer and currently serves four nonstop destinations from RIC.
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