AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
New airlines don’t pop up very often, but Breeze Airways is a recent exception. Founded in 2018 and launching its first flight in 2021, the carrier set out to disrupt the low-cost aviation space. Breeze calls itself the “nice” airline — a word woven throughout its website and customer experience. Since then, Breeze has grown from an interesting idea into an airline with a clearly defined vision.
But what exactly makes Breeze Airways “nice,” and does it live up to that promise?
Page Contents
What Is Breeze Airways?
Breeze Airways is one of the newest low-cost carriers in the U.S. The airline initially focused on underserved routes, primarily in the Southeast. Its inaugural flight on May 27, 2021, operated from Tampa (TPA) to Charleston (CHS) — for which AwardWallet Editor-In-Chief JT Genter was onboard.
Since then, Breeze has expanded its network, now serving major cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, and Dallas, along with dozens of smaller markets.
The airline's CEO and founder is David Neeleman, who also founded Morris Air, WestJet, JetBlue Airways, and Azul Brazilian Airlines. Although headquartered in Utah, the airline has most of its hubs in Southeastern cities like Charleston, Tampa, New Orleans, and Norfolk.
Breeze Airways fleet
Breeze currently operates a fleet of more than 50 aircraft across two types:
- Airbus A220-300
- Embraer 190
One thing to note: While the Airbus aircraft feature Breeze Ascent — the airline’s version of first class — the Embraer aircraft do not. Instead, those planes are configured with extra-legroom and standard economy seats only.
Breeze Airways Fare Bundles
Breeze Airways offers three fare bundles — Nice, Nicer, and Nicest — along with a separate No Flex Fare, which functions as a basic economy ticket. Here’s a closer look at what each includes.
No Flex Fare
This is a basic economy ticket, so benefits are limited:
- One personal item that must fit under the seat in front of you
- Boarding in Zones 3 to 5
- Partial reusable credit if canceled
- Earn 1 Breeze Rewards point per $1 spent
If you want to check a bag, bring a full-size carry-on, or select your seat in advance, you'll need to pay extra.
Nice bundle
This is the entry-level bundle and provides the following:
- Carry-on bag
- Boarding in Zone 2
- Flight changes allowed
- Full reusable credit if canceled
- Earn 2 Breeze Rewards points per $1 spent
Nicer bundle
The Nicer bundle takes the level of service you receive up a notch, and you get everything in the Nice fare, plus the following:
- Select an Extra Legroom seat in advance
- One checked bag
- Boarding in Zone 1
- In-flight Wi-Fi
- Earn 5 Breeze Rewards points per $1 spent
Nicest bundle — Breeze Ascent
This is Breeze Airways' “premium” offering, featuring its Breeze Ascent seat. The Nicest fare includes everything from the Nicer fare, plus the following:
- First-class Breeze Ascent seat selection
- Two checked bags
- First to board in BreezeBy boarding
- In-flight snacks and drinks
Related: Guide To Booking Budget Airlines With Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, or Citi Points
Breeze Airways Routes and Destinations
Breeze Airways is growing rapidly. It seems that the airline is announcing new routes almost weekly. Breeze operates routes to destinations in more than 30 states and is expanding into international hubs in Cancun (CUN) and Punta Cana (PUJ). Although many routes are on the eastern seaboard, you can find plenty of options to head out west.
The goal is to connect underserved markets, and Breeze has done a phenomenal job of that. You can find highly affordable flights between many secondary airports, allowing those living in small towns to book nonstop flights rather than being forced to connect in a hub.
Does Breeze Airways Have Wi-Fi?
Breeze Airways offers high-speed Wi-Fi for a fee on all Airbus A220-operated flights. However, Wi-Fi is not available on its Embraer aircraft.
If you hold the Breeze Easy™ Visa® Credit Card, you’ll receive complimentary Wi-Fi on equipped flights. Wi-Fi is also included when you book a Nicer or Nicest bundle.
Breeze Airways Cancellation Policy
Breeze Airways offers a flexible change and cancellation policy, but it depends on the fare bundle you book. All Breeze flights are nonrefundable. If you cancel, you’ll receive a flight credit rather than a refund. However, there are no change or cancellation fees — you’ll only need to pay any applicable fare difference.
No Flex Fare tickets cannot be changed voluntarily. You may cancel up to one hour before departure to receive a partial flight credit based on when you cancel:
- 61-plus days before departure: 100% of the reservation as a flight credit
- 16 to 60 days before departure: 50% of the reservation as a flight credit
- One hour to 15 days before departure: 25% of the reservation as a flight credit
Regardless of your fare class, you will not receive a refund if you cancel your flight within 1 hour of departure.
All flight credits expire 12 months from the original booking date — not the cancellation date — so plan future travel accordingly.
For flights canceled within 24 hours of booking and at least seven days before departure, Breeze will refund the full amount to your original form of payment.
If you book an award flight with BreezePoints, you can't make any changes, but you can cancel your flight and have your points returned to your account.
Breeze Airways Fees
Breeze Airways baggage fees
Breeze Airways has a pretty standard baggage policy.
With a No Flex Fare, you can only bring one free personal item that fits under the seat in front of you. All bundles include a personal item. If you want to bring a carry-on bag when flying on a No Flex Fare, you'll pay the following:
- $35 if purchased at the time of booking
- $40 if purchased online before check-in opens
- $45 if purchased online after check-in opens
If you book a Nice bundle or higher, you can bring a free carry-on bag.
For Nicer bundles, you can bring one free checked bag, while Nicest bundles can bring two free checked bags. However, if you want to add a checked bag on a No Flex Fare or a Nice bundle, the pricing is as follows:
- $40 if purchased at the time of booking
- $45 if purchased online before check-in opens
- $50 if purchased online after check-in opens
- The second bag is $55 on all flights
- The third bag is $65 on all flights
Your carry-on and first checked bag on international flights are $5 cheaper.
If you wait to add a carry-on or checked bag at the airport or through the Breeze Guest Empowerment Team, you’ll pay a flat $75 fee. Because of this, travelers planning to bring luggage may find better value in booking a Nicer or Nicest bundle upfront.
Seat selection Fees
Seat selection will also cost you when flying with Breeze Airways. Published prices are as follows:
- Standard seat: $10 to $59
- Extra legroom: $30 to $99
- Breeze Ascent: $50 to $399
Keep in mind that if you book a No Flex Fare or a Nice bundle, you’ll need to pay to select your seat in advance. Otherwise, a seat will be assigned to you at check-in. Nicer bundles include an extra-legroom seat selection, while Nicest bundles include a Breeze Ascent seat.
The cost of a seat varies significantly by category and route. Consider this flight from Raleigh (RDU) to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (PUJ). A No Flex Fare would cost just $131.
If I were to book a No Flex Fare, I'd need to pay anywhere from $22 to $42 to select a standard seat, $51 to $61 to select an extra legroom seat, or $257 to $277 to select a Breeze Ascent seat. I'm tall, so I'd want an extra-legroom seat. If I booked a No Flex Fare and paid for an extra-legroom seat and a carry-on or checked bag, I'd pay more than if I just booked a Nicer bundle, which includes these (and more) for free.
Free assigned family seating is offered when you fly with children between the ages of 2 and 12. Family seating includes two adults for one child. When more than one child is traveling, family seating will include one adult per child. Family seating is located in the back of the aircraft.
Breezy Rewards Program
The Breezy Rewards loyalty program underwent a major overhaul in 2026, making it much more valuable. Now, you can take advantage of elite status tiers and redeem your BreezePoints for more than 1 cent each.
To start earning BreezePoints, you'll need to sign up for a free Breeze Rewards account. Breeze Airways makes signing up easy by allowing you to use a Facebook, Apple, or Google login to auto-fill your information.
If the details on your social media profile don’t match your legal identification, you can update your Breeze profile after signing up. Your ticket information must match your government-issued ID in order to comply with TSA requirements, so it’s important to ensure everything is accurate.
Ways to earn BreezePoints
Earning BreezePoints is straightforward, and the rate at which you earn depends on your fare class. BreezePoints are earned at the following rates:
- No Flex Fares earn 1 BreezePoint per $1 spent on the base fare.
- Nice fares earn 2 BreezePoints per $1 spent on the base fare.
- Nicer fares earn 5 BreezePoints per $1 spent on the base fare.
- Nicest fares earn 5 BreezePoints per $1 spent on the base fare.
You'll also earn up to 5 BreezePoints per $1 spent on eligible trip add-ons like checked bags and seat selection.
One thing to note is that not all of your purchases will earn points. Things like government taxes, excess baggage, and travel insurance are excluded.
Redeeming your BreezePoints
BreezePoints are worth at least 1 cent per point. In AwardWallet testing, we found routes with returns as high as 2.1 cents per point.
Points can be used toward fares, seat selection, baggage fees, pet fees, and more.
To redeem your points, make sure to click “Book with BreezePoints” when searching for a flight. Keep in mind that you won't necessarily receive the same point value per bundle.
For instance, you can book a No Flex Fare on a flight from Raleigh (RDU) to San Diego (SAN) for $109 or 7,000 BreezePoints, plus $6 in taxes and fees. This gives you a valuation of 1.47 cents per point.
A Nicest bundle would cost $380 or 29,600 BreezePoints, which gives you a valuation of 1.26 cents per point.
It's not necessarily a substantial difference, but it's important to understand if you want to stretch your points.
Do BreezePoints expire?
Your BreezePoints are valid for 24 months from the date they are issued. After that, they expire and cannot be extended or reinstated.
If you make a booking using your BreezePoints and then cancel it, the refunded points' expiration will revert to the original date. However, you can use your points to book a flight that is past the point expiration date. You just need to use them by the expiration date.
Breeze flight credits, which are issued after canceling a reservation or add-on item, are valid for 12 months from the date of issue. Similar to BreezePoints, if you cancel a reservation made using flight credits, the returned credits will have the same expiration date as the original ones.
Breeze elite status
There are four tiers above the base member level: Breezy 1, Breezy 2, Breezy 3, and Breezy Club. Making it to top-tier status can be worth it for frequent flyers, as you could choose a Breezy Select Benefit valid for a multiuse 100% buddy discount (essentially a buy-one-get-one free flight).
Here's how many BreezePoints you'll need to earn to reach each tier:
- Breezy 1: 15,000 BreezePoints
- Breezy 2: 30,000 BreezePoints
- Breezy 3: 60,000 BreezePoints
- Breezy Club: 120,000 BreezePoints
Remember that you earn 5 BreezePoints per $1 on Nicer and Nicest bundles. That means you would need to spend roughly $3,000 on Breeze top-tier bundles before you reach Breezy 1. Breezy Club will take a much more substantial investment.
If you're after elite status, it could be worth applying for the Breeze Easy Visa Card, which allows you to earn up to 10X points on Nicer and Nicest bundles. That cuts your path to elite status in half.
New cardholders also receive Breezy 1 status after spending $1,000 on purchases within 90 days from account opening.
Once you become a Breeze elite, you'll receive benefits, including:
- Breezy 1: 25% BreezePoint boost, complimentary Wi-Fi, Zone 1 boarding, and one Bundle Upgrade
- Breezy 2: 50% BreezePoint boost, two Bundle Upgrades, and your choice of a Breezy Select Benefit
- Breezy 3: 75% BreezePoint boost, BreezeBy boarding, five Bundle Upgrades, and your choice of a Breezy Select Benefit
- Breezy Club: 100% BreezePoint boost, 10 Bundle Upgrades, and your choice of a Breezy Select Benefit
Bundle Upgrades can be applied at any time after booking with immediate confirmation. So, if there's ever a time when you want to book a Breeze Ascent seat but there's a significant price gap between a Nicer and Nicest bundle, you can apply your upgrade.
Breezy Select Benefits become more valuable as you move up the elite tiers. Breezy 2 members can choose one additional Bundle Upgrade, 2,500 BreezePoints, or a 25% multi-use buddy discount. Breezy Club members can choose four additional Bundle Upgrades, 22,500 BreezePoints, or a 100% multiuse buddy discount.
Our Take
Low-cost carriers can be a great option when you simply want to get from point A to point B without paying for extras. At the same time, the à la carte pricing model can feel frustrating when every add-on comes at a cost.
By all accounts, Breeze seems interested in flipping this image on its head and is branding itself as a nice airline. It offers good options in a no-frills package without the hassles usually associated with flying low-cost carriers. If this “nice” approach is successful, maybe other carriers will follow suit and start hassling passengers less about every possible upgrade and spending option during the trip.
And now that Breeze has a lucrative rewards program, the airline seems poised to take the industry by storm.
