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Breeze Airways announced Charleston, West Virginia, as its newest destination Tuesday, with two routes — one of which stands out for a unique quirk.
Starting May 31, the airline will fly between Charleston, West Virginia, and Charleston, South Carolina. The route will operate for the summer season on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
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Breeze will also fly between the West Virginia city and Orlando, with year-round service on Wednesdays and Saturdays that also begins May 31.
“I’ve said over and over that our airports in West Virginia are our lifeblood,” West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said in a statement. “They fuel our economy, bring in tourism, and their ripple effects are off-the-charts.”
Breeze, the latest startup airline from JetBlue founder David Neeleman, launched in 2021 with a point-to-point operating model; it aims to operate nonstop flights between smaller markets that do not otherwise have direct air connectivity.
The airline began by operating short flights of less than two hours with a fleet of Embraer E190 and E195 regional jets leased from Azul in Brazil, which Neeleman also founded. Last year, the airline took delivery of its first new Airbus A220. This jet has the range to connect any two cities in the continental U.S., allowing Breeze to expand and operate longer-range routes between smaller airports.
Related: Breeze Airways adds 22 new routes, including 1 new city
The new routes from Charleston, West Virginia, will be flown on Embraer jets. The airline said it plans to offer five destinations from the airport within two years.
Charleston, South Carolina, serves as a focus city for Breeze and was the destination of the airline’s inaugural route. Charleston, West Virginia, will mark the airline’s 20th destination from the South Carolina city of the same name, according to data from Cirium. Other destinations from Charleston, South Carolina, include Columbus, Ohio; White Plains, New York; and Providence.
