Four million people pass through Richmond International Airport each year, but few can fly directly to their destination according to airline executive Tom Doxey.
“The flights used to be a very small airplane that would fly into a busy hub, connect in that busy hub to fly where you wanted to go," he explains. "That was largely tailored to business traffic, so it was more expensive.”
His airline, Breeze, has a whole different business model with passengers who are likely traveling for fun.
“What we do is fly in and out of those same communities, but right to where they want to go – places like Tampa and Orlando, Las Vegas, Southern California, New Orleans. We can get you there in half the time at half the price.”
Breeze Airways was the brainchild of David Neeleman who started Jet Blue in New York. Two years ago the company began flying three routes from Richmond. Now it’s up to 13 from Virginia’s capital and 17 from Norfolk where Doxey says many Breeze pilots are based.
“We have a lot of people who are retired military," Doxey says. "Their families have been in Norfolk for a lot of years, and their option was either commuting into a New York or Chicago, or they could be based in the city where they are already living with their family, and can in many cases fly out and back on a day and sleep in their own bed, and that’s a really, really big deal from a quality of life standpoint.”
Pay is competitive, and Doxey says pilots can nearly double their salary by going from first officer to captain -- a promotion more likely at a fast-growing airline. He also contends the company’s culture is especially appealing to people who are used to being in control.
“I just actually came from a weekly call that we do with all of our pilots," says Doxey. "The CEO and president and others are there talking to them and answering questions, so I think the culture is a good place.”
In addition, Breeze pilots get the chance to fly state-of-the-art aircraft.
“Especially the airbus A220s -- it is the most modern aircraft in this size category, and the ability for our pilots to know that they’re going to fly really the latest technology – that’s pretty cool. That’s pretty neat.”
All of this is crucial given the fact that this country requires extensive training for pilots, and they’re in short supply.
“There’s a 1,500-hour rule that requires pilots in the U.S. – which is about five times more than anywhere else in the world, and that combined with a lot of early retirements that happened during the pandemic of more senior pilots has resulted in hundreds of very small regional jets being parked.”
At Richmond International, executive Troy Bell says Breeze is a good fit for a rapidly growing market.
“There are 11 Fortune 1000 companies based here. State government is here," he says. "We have some larger educational institutions and a growing manufacturing sector with companies like Lego on the way.”
And this start-up has provided Richmond with direct service to the west – Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Francisco and L.A.
“Folks at the state film office were very happy to see Los Angeles come online. Las Vegas, of course, is a leisure market, but it’s also one of the biggest conference destinations in the country,” Bell says.
One more group has welcomed Breeze – consumers. They can book flights from their phone for as little as $39 one way. Upgrades to first class are also modest, and passengers can cancel a trip up to 15 minutes before departure – getting a credit for future travel.
