dailynewsnblog
Breeze Airways has officially operated its last scheduled commercial passenger flight with the Embraer E190. The carrier used the Brazilian regional jet to get its operations up and running as aviation bounced back from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, but, in recent years, the Airbus A220-300 has played an increasingly large role at the airline. Now, its fleet consists entirely of these modern jets.
All in all, Breeze operated just eight flights with the Embraer E190 in the first week of September, bringing its tenure at the carrier to a close in an understated style. As well as the operational flexibility and maintenance benefits that come with having a one-type fleet, passengers can also expect a more consistent onboard experience going forward, with every flight now guaranteeing premium seats.
The Final Eight E190 Flights
According to scheduling data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, Breeze operated four E190 flights on September 4 and another four on Sepember 7. On both dates, the carrier operated a one-stop rotation from New Orleans (MSY) to Wilmington (ILM) via its base in Orlando (MCO) and back. These through itineraries with the same aircraft and flight number are marketed as ‘BreezThru.’
Using yesterday’s rotation as an example, Flightradar24 shows that N120BZ left New Orleans as MX311 at 7:59 AM, and reached Orlando at 10:31. Thereafter, it took off again at 12:18 PM and reached Wilmington at 1:18 PM. It then retraced its steps as MX310, eventually landing back in New Orleans at 5:55 PM, bringing Breeze’s E190 era to a close. The airline subsequently explained on social media that:
“It’s official. Breeze Airways is now an all-A220 airline. With our E-Jets officially retired, our fleet is now 59 Airbus A220s strong and ready for what’s next.”
All About The A220
At the time of writing, N120BZ is still on the ground in New Orleans. However, its days of operating scheduled commercial passenger flights for Breeze Airways are over, and, according to Flightradar24, it is scheduled to be flown to San Jose (SJO) for storage as MX9420 at 9:00 AM local time tomorrow. Keep an eye out for it on Simple Flying’s flight tracker as it flies west to start its next operational chapter!
The withdrawal of its last E190 means that Breeze Airways now has one of the youngest fleets of any airline anywhere in the world. Data from ch-aviation shows that the carrier’s existing fleet of Airbus A220-300 narrowbody twinjets is just 2.7 years old on average. With almost 40 examples of the type still yet to be delivered to Breeze Airways, this figure will surely remain nice and low for the foreseeable future.
In terms of the respective specifications for the two aircraft types, Breeze’s all-A220 fleet will now benefit from every aircraft being larger and able to fly further. Indeed, according to Aviator Joe, the Airbus A220-300 has a range of 6,112 km (3,300 NM), compared to just 4,537 km (2,450 NM) for the Embraer E190. It is also longer and wider, meaning it can accommodate not just more seats but also bigger ones.
Breeze Now Offers Premium Seating On Every Flight
Indeed, the main advantage of the Airbus A220-300 over the Embraer E190 from a passenger perspective at Breeze Airways is the fact that it has a dedicated premium seating section. This was not the case on the E190, which, according to fleet data made available by aeroLOPA, had 108 economy seats at Breeze. The A220, meanwhile, can accommodate a grand total of 137 passengers on board.
12 of these are domestic first class-style recliners in a 2-2 configuration (compared to 3-2 in economy), with the product known as Breeze Ascent. While the economy seats themselves are relatively roomy, offering 18.1 inches of width and 31-33 inches of pitch, Breeze Ascent takes these dimensions to the next level. Indeed, here, Breeze Ascent passengers can expect 20.5 inches of width and 39 inches of pitch.
