Starting in October, Breeze Airways flight crews will be based at Vero Beach Regional Airport and the airline will resume parking jets there overnight.
“That means we’ll start hiring flight crews locally,” Breeze spokesman Gareth Edmondson-Jones said, adding that qualified pilots and flight attendants in the Vero Beach community and along the Treasure Coast are encouraged to apply.
He said he didn’t know how many crew members would be hired.
Vero Beach Airport Director Todd Scher said Breeze officials had been exploring the benefits of establishing a flight-crew base here “for a while,” as the local travelers increasingly embraced the airline’s offerings to the Northeast.
“It makes sense,” Scher said. “During the peak of last season, Breeze was up to 29 flights per week here, and they had a lot of overnights. So they’d have two or three flight crews staying in hotels in Vero Beach.
“By having a base here, they don’t have to pay for all those hotel rooms.”
Breeze unveiled its latest plans last Tuesday, less than a week after announcing the airline will expand its Vero Beach service to the New York area this fall, adding a fifth destination – Stewart International Airport in Newburgh – in November and doubling its flights to and from Islip when that seasonal route returns in October.
Breeze is scheduled to begin its service to Newburgh, located 70 miles north of Manhattan, on Nov. 21 with flights on Thursdays and Sundays. The airline already connects Vero Beach to Westchester County Airport in White Plains, 50 miles south of Newburgh.
On Oct. 2, Breeze will resume its service to Islip’s Long Island MacArthur Airport, but with flights to be offered four days per week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
The Vero-Islip service was introduced in October – and was well received, Breeze officials said – but was suspended for the summer months in May.
Breeze founder and CEO David Neeleman said the success of the airline’s service between Vero Beach and two other New York-area destinations prompted the decision to add Newburgh.
“We’ve seen tremendous demand between New York and Vero Beach in the last couple of years,” Neeleman said in a news release. “So we’re thrilled to add service from Stewart-Newburgh, our third New York-area airport, to the popular Treasure Coast – along with our existing service at Long Island-Islip, Westchester, Hartford (Connecticut) and Providence (Rhode Island).”
Edmondson-Jones said adding Newburgh to Breeze’s Vero Beach route map will not impact the airline’s service to Westchester County, despite the relatively close proximity of the two markets.
Scher welcomed Breeze’s recent announcements, saying he doesn’t expect the expanded service to put any noticeable strain on the airport’s staff, facilities or operations.
“We’re always happy when Breeze makes these announcements,” he said. “Thus far, they’ve been very successful in choosing destinations from Vero Beach.”
Vero Beach Mayor John Cotugno said he was thrilled that Breeze was expanding its service here, and he thanked the airline for investing in the community, partnering with the city’s airport and making travel more accessible for local residents.
He said the Utah-based airline’s success in Vero Beach has surpassed his expectations.
“These additions will strengthen our community’s ties with these vibrant regions, as well as boost our local economy and tourism,” Cotugno said. “Additionally, it will provide our residents an opportunity to explore new destinations or invite friends and family to experience the charm of Vero.”
Breeze launched its operations in Vero Beach in February 2023.