Breeze Airways has selected Viasat as the in-flight connectivity service provider for its fleet of A220-300 aircraft, pictured here with a Viasat radome. (Breeze Airways)
Breeze Airways has selected the in-flight connectivity (IFC) service provider, Viasat, for its Airbus A220-300 fleet, according to a March 8 announcement from the two companies.
Salt Lake City-based Breeze first launched operations last year on a mixed fleet of Embraer E-190, E-195, and A220-300 jets. The selection of Viasat as the A220 connectivity service provider Monday also came with an announced expansion by Breeze to add 35 new routes this summer from 10 new cities. Breeze now operates 77 total routes between 28 cities in 18 states.
Breeze Founder and CEO David Neeleman, in a March 8 statement, said the airline’s vision for IFC “extends way beyond just delivering high-quality streaming and internet speeds. It will enable us to offer a fully-integrated and seamless experience through the Breeze app, giving our Guests unparalleled access to a wide array of personalized services and options.”
“We identified a natural partner in Viasat — not only in the performance, speed and satellite capacity advantage, but as a great cultural partner in the way we both seek to prioritize the digital experience,” Neeleman said.
Breeze Airways has configured its A220 cabins into “Nice,” “Nicest,” and “Nicer” premium and economy seating options. (Breeze Airways)
Breeze has 80 total A220-300s on order from Airbus, with options for an additional 40 aircraft on a one-per-month delivery schedule over the next four years. The airline will expand its fleet to 30 total aircraft this year, including 13 A220s and 17 E-jets.
Viasat provided updates on its Viasat-3 satellite launch schedule and acquisition of Inmarsat during an earnings call last month. A number of airlines have reached out to Viasat with interest in the acquisition and how it will affect their service, according to reporting on the call by Via Satellite, a sister publication to Avionics.
“From our first discussions with Breeze, there was a great fit based on how the airline values the digital experience for its Guests and how our world-class IFC solution delivers on that promise,” Don Buchman, Viasat’s vice president and general manager of commercial aviation, said, commenting on the Breeze Airways selection. “Specifically, for their expanding network and transcontinental routes, we can deliver the industry’s fastest in-flight connectivity service—even for bandwidth-intensive applications like streaming video, which dominate internet traffic today.”