There are no seatback screens and we were alerted in advance that Wi-Fi was not available (it is currently being beta-tested for a rollout later this year), but I brought plenty of work and prior to departure had downloaded some binge-worthy TV shows to watch. While I sat in my capacious seat-20.5 inches wide, with pitch of 39 inches (the legroom between rows)-the time passed quickly, and it was easy to nod off. The captain announced the flying time would be five hours and 20 minutes and said the crew would be coming down the aisle shortly with refreshments. The advantage of a smaller hub like White Plains is that it doesn’t have conga lines on the runway like the much more congested New York hubs of LaGuardia and John F.
#BREEZE AIRWAYS GOOGLE REVIEWS WINDOWS#
Fortunately, most of the airline’s flights of more than a few hours are on the A220-which has won praise for its features like large windows and other antidotes to claustrophobia. These elegant seats are only available on the Airbus A220, a bigger plane with more range than the smaller Embraer jets in its fleet. Once we boarded, I settled into Seat 8F-one of the 36 first-class seats at the front of the plane-thanks to my ticket in the class dubbed “Nicest,” to set it apart from “Nice” (the Breeze Airways equivalent of basic economy), and “Nicer” (the carrier’s version of economy, which offers a bit more legroom than “Nice”). Amenities are limited but once I got through security-with the help of Clear to bypass the scrum-I found a place to sit near a convenience store and, aware that in-flight food would be limited to an assortment of snacks, grabbed a coffee and sandwich. The diminutive airport has just four gates and the gate area was packed with travelers escaping the cold for points south. On the morning of my flight, I pulled up at the single passenger terminal in White Plains at 7 a.m. I flew with Breeze last November, but rather than sit in the back, I decided to find out what it’s like flying up front with the competitively priced carrier. Toward the end of 2022, it passed the 100-route milestone and launched its first coast-to-coast nonstops, with flights to Los Angeles from New York’s Westchester County Airport, situated in a quiet suburb about 30 miles north of Manhattan. The review: Breeze Airways, the low-cost carrier from JetBlue founder David Neeleman, started as a quirky player flying among secondary airports, but in less than two years it has become a truly national airline. The price: From $298 each way for first class versus fares from $69 each way to fly economy The class of service: “Nicest” class, Breeze’s version of premium or first class
The flight: Breeze Airways, Flight 298, White Plains, New York (HPN) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) One flight was with Breeze Airways, a domestic upstart now flying coast to coast, and the other was on Paris-based French Bee, a long-haul leisure carrier, which offers a premium product on the overnight nonstops it operates across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. I recently flew in the pointy end of the plane on two niche airlines and the experience was a pleasant surprise. But several low-cost carriers that have recently come on the scene are offering a two-class layout, betting that some fliers will spend a little more for a better ride. Norwegian ran into financial headwinds and, in 2021, gave up its long-haul service, and airlines that had attempted an all-premium-class service at affordable fares ultimately failed (with the exception of France’s La Compagnie). Over the years, I’ve purposely sought out the low-cost carriers that offer premium digs-one of my all-time favorites was on Norwegian Air’s Boeing 787 wide-bodies, where the upfront section featured comfy recliners, delicious hot meals, and seatback entertainment, for a price well below comparable offerings on major international carriers.
Bargain first or premium class may sound like a contradiction, but it’s arguably one of the best “champagne on a beer budget” travel hacks. With airfares soaring, and upgrades even more elusive if you lack the miles and status, your options can be pretty limited when trying to escape coach-class misery-at least on traditional airlines.īut there is an alternative that even savvy frequent fliers may not have thought of.
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