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Breeze Airways, the latest airline startup, is discontinuing its transcontinental service between Westchester, New York and Los Angeles starting May 1 due to excessive use of crew and aircraft resources.
The airline spokesperson, Gareth Edmondson-Jones, confirmed that the six-hour flight time and inconvenient timing of the flights didn’t work well for Breeze’s operation. Although several established airlines serve the New York-Los Angeles route, Breeze attempted to fly from Westchester County Airport to Los Angeles International Airport, unlike its competitors.
The airport is easily navigable and has a wealthy catchment area, including Connecticut. Despite introductory fares starting at just $149 for a one-way trip, Breeze failed to persuade enough locals to choose the airline over competitors.
Founder and CEO, David Neeleman, envisioned turning White Plains, New York, into a significant market for Breeze, similar to JetBlue Airways, which he founded 16 years ago. However, his expectations may have been too high this time. Although the Los Angeles route was the only profitable transcontinental market for Breeze’s HPN operation, the route had a few months of consistent service since November.