My Review: First Flight on Breeze Airways Out of Tampa

Author Geno

July 6th, 2023 8:49 AM

When Breeze Airways announced their non-stop service to my hometown of Portland, Maine, I jumped on it fast.  A roundtrip direct flight both ways to New England for only $120?  No stops in New Jersey or DC? Sign me up. I was so excited I bought two roundtrip flights the day they went on sale. Breeze Airways was new to me but for that price and convenience, I was willing to give them a shot.

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So how did it go?

I love flying in and out of Tampa International Airport so I knew that part would be great.  The Breeze Airways staff was friendly.  The planes were nice.  The flights were cheap and on time.  But there were two big negatives that will probably keep me from flying with Breeze again.  Let’s go over the positives and those 2 big strikes.  Only one of the two will probably be an issue for you.

• No Stops

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  I can't tell you how awesome it is to see Portland, Maine again on the departures map at TPA. I usually fly to Boston and have to take a 2 hour bus or train to Maine. It's so nice to just fly and get there. They're also flying to Akron, Charleston, Hartford, Providence, Richmond, Huntsville and Norfolk.

• Early wake up

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  One of the few downsides is having to wake up early. The flight left at 8am so I had to wake up around 5:30. I'm not used to alarm clock life.

• First impressions

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  Walking on to the plane, nothing seemed all that different about Breeze. There were 3 seats on one side, 2 on the other in coach. I think the small first class section had 2 seats on each side.
• Coach class seats

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  Seats looked fancy, nice and comfortable... at first glance. I didn't know the unwelcome surprise to come once I sat down.

• Bag Space

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  Overhead compartments were on the smaller side, but it didn't matter to me. They don't include a carry on with that $120 roundtrip deal so I didn't have much anyway. And that actually turns into a positive. Since people have to pay extra to bring a carry on, they don't. That means boarding and deplaning goes WAY faster.

• Windows

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  The windows are enormous compared to other airlines. For a guy who's 6'4" it's nice to not have to duck to look out the window. They seemed almost twice as large as usual airplane windows.
• Chargers

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  I always appreciate the charging ports on flights. BUT... first strike on Breeze - there was no WiFi. Nor were there video screens. No movies. No TV shows. No ability to web surf to make time fly by. Ouch. That is a BIG negative Breeze. A listener did tell me that some Breeze planes do have WiFi, but neither of my flights had it.

• Wings did not cost extra

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  With Breeze Airways, the low airfares mean carry on bags cost extra. Snacks and drinks cost extra. Picking a seat costs extra. At least the planes did come with wings. That didn't cost extra.

• No freebies

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  Anything besides water or coffee DID cost extra. 6 slices of salami and cheese and a can of Coke came out to $11. Most non-alcoholic drinks cost $4.
• Clear announcements

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  One odd thing that stood out is the announcements didn't sound like they were coming over a CB radio. I never could understand why airlines can't have a clean stereo sounding speaker system. So props to Breeze on that.

• A bit much

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  NOW... the BIG reason I probably won't fly with Breeze Airways again. While these headrests look extra plush and comfy, they don't move much. And for this 6'4" giant, that meant they dug into my shoulder blades for the 30 minutes of takeoff and then again at landing. One hour in the fetal position was annoying. Work on this Breeze and I'll come back. Either let the headrests go higher or make them removeable.

• Welcome to Maine

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  On the plus side, again, it was nice to get to Maine in 3 hours from Florida without having to fly from Orlando or Miami. I love flying in and out of Tampa - I just hate usually having to make a connection.
• Only in Maine

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  They definitely landed at the right airport. This is definitely Maine.

So the two big strikes against Breeze Airways?  No WiFi and the uncomfortable seats.  The seats having those annoying headrests digging into my shoulders probably won’t be an issue for you.  I’m crazy tall.  If you’re of normal height, I think the headrests being so big will probably be a positive.

Would I fly with Breeze Airways again?

Maybe. As for not having WiFi or any kind of entertainment on board, that’s kind of unforgiveable to me in 2024.  I know Breeze Airways is going for that no frill discount airline business model, but pick at least 1 – have a video monitor or give me some WiFi so I can entertain myself for those 3 hours.  Even if I have to pay a few bucks for the WiFi, it’d be a game changer and would make me consider flying with Breeze again.

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Author Geno

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