Breeze adds 5 new cities and 7 routes, fills void from Avelo’s West Coast exit

Breeze Airways announced a major West Coast expansion Thursday, bringing service to five new cities and launching seven new routes.

The airline will start flying to Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) and California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport (ACV) in California; Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM) near Bend and Eugene Airport (EUG) in Oregon; and Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) in Pasco, Washington. Service to the new cities will begin in March 2026.

“With an expanded West Coast presence that connects travelers to our broader nationwide network, Breeze’s service will bring even more options and convenience to these underserved communities,” Breeze founder and CEO David Neeleman said in a statement.

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The timing of Thursday’s announcement was notable: Rival startup Avelo Airlines just announced plans to end its West Coast presence and will completely exit some of the same markets that Breeze plans to enter, including Burbank, Eugene, Redmond, Redwood Coast-Humboldt County and Tri-Cities.

Avelo has struggled in recent months, even as Breeze has seen its first profitable quarters since launching in 2021. Avelo has also faced backlash for operating deportation flights from the U.S. for Immigration and Customs Enforcement — critics launched an “AvelNO” advertising campaign in response.

It was not immediately clear whether Breeze is deliberately capitalizing on Avelo’s exit, or whether the timing of the announcement is a coincidence.

When asked specifically about the timeline, a spokesperson for Breeze said that “while the news certainly cleared an open path, it wouldn’t have been possible without dozens of other pieces being in the right place at the right time.”

“Burbank is a perfect example of a secondary market with underserved air service to communities like PSC, RDM, EUG and ACV, and we’re confident our model will be the perfect long-term fit for travelers in the area,” the spokesperson added

The airline’s press release announcing the new routes also suggested that Avelo’s network had already had in Breeze’s attention.

“We have long been monitoring opportunities to expand our network on the West Coast and hope the news will be a welcome reprieve for travelers in these communities,” Breeze’s Chief Commercial Officer Lukas Johnson said in a press release.

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The new routes, which all begin in March, are as follows:

The airline also announced several one-stop routes from Provo under its “BreezeThru” model, which lets passengers stay on the plane during a quick stop on the ground, including: PVU-ACV, PVU-EUG, PVU-PSC and PVU-RDM.

All of the new routes will be operated by Breeze’s fleet of new Airbus A220-300 jets, which offer Wi-Fi and first-class seats.

Breeze uses a point-to-point operating model that aims to operate nonstop flights between smaller markets that do not otherwise have direct air connectivity. The airline began in 2021 by operating short flights of less than two hours with a fleet of Embraer jets leased from Azul Brazilian Airlines, before building a fleet of brand-new Airbus A220 jets.

The airline has expanded rapidly since its launch. In 2024 alone, Breeze added 29 cities and 88 routes, the airline said.

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