JetBlue Founder Delays Launch of His New Airline to 2021 Starting in Southeastern U.S.
Photo Credit: A Breeze Airways Embraer E195. The airline expects to start flying in 2021. Breeze Airways
Skift Take
At some point, the U.S. airline industry will have a robust recovery. But given the depth of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is unlikely this will happen next year. Breeze Airways may have a rough go at first.
To great fanfare a couple of years ago, JetBlue Airways founder David Neeleman announced he would start a new U.S. airline offering above-average service at low prices. But with the U.S. airline industry facing its worst financial crisis ever, Neeleman has altered his plan, delaying the launch into 2021.
First the good news. The airline, called Breeze Airways, has hired a full executive team, and on September 21 after receiving permission from the Federal Aviation Administration, it began training pilots and flight dispatchers. And in filing earlier this month, the company said it recently closed an $83 million Series A funding round on August 28 "providing it with more than adequate balance sheet strength to launch i
