Breeze Airways temporarily cutting back on some nonstop flights from Bradley International Airport
Breeze Airways, the feisty, low-cost startup airline that has pursued a fast-paced expansion at Bradley International Airport, has hit a bit of turbulence.
The airline confirmed Friday that it is temporarily cutting back on nonstop flights out of Bradley to Savannah, Georgia; Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh and Akron/Canton, Ohio.
“These decisions were difficult to make and certainly not taken lightly,” Gareth Edmondson-Jones, a Breeze spokesman, said. “Like most airlines and airports around the country, we are experiencing issues with crew availability and supply chain constraints.”
Breeze apologized for the inconvenience. The airline said those with tickets on canceled flights will get a full refund and 10,000 BreezePoints, worth $100.
Edmondsen-Jones said the Wednesday flight from Bradley to Savannah will be canceled until Aug. 31, but the Saturday flight remains.
All service to Pittsburgh and Columbus will be suspended until the fall, returning Oct. 6.
Flights to Akron/Canton were seasonal but were ended early. They are expected to resume in the summer of 2023, Edmondsen-Jones said.
A backlog in training for pilots and flight attendants also contributed to the decision to temporarily suspend the flights from Bradley. The cost of fuel remains high, but was not a factor in the decision, Edmondson-Jones said.
Officials at Bradley said delays in pilot certifications for Breeze’s larger, A220-300 aircraft played a prominent role.
“While we are disappointed, we do fully anticipate that they are going to meet the original schedule that was announced,” said Kevin A. Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, which oversees Bradley’s operations.
Salt Lake City-based Breeze first launched at Bradley in June 2021. The airline was founded with the strategy of offering “point-to-point” service from the smaller, secondary airports.
In a little over a year, Breeze had announced 11 non-stop destinations out of Bradley — the latest, in April, to Las Vegas ― and rolled out plans to create an operations center at Bradley. The center is expected to eventually create 200 jobs and is tied to the number of Breeze aircraft stationed at the airport.
Multiple news outlets reported Friday that the pilot shortage is so acute that air passengers are routinely facing flight delays and cancellations with summer travel surging as the pandemic appears to be easing.
Dillon said Bradley has not seen heavy cancellations or delays.
Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.
