Breeze Airways plans to put one of its shiny new Airbus A220s on a route from Northwest Arkansas National Airport.
The 126-seat 220, described as “swanky” by some in the airline industry because it’s spacious and has 36 first-class seats, will be used on flights from XNA to Tampa starting May 6. The Breeze summer schedule was made public late Tuesday night.
Seats in the first-class section of the plane were selling for $99 each way, and that sale continues until Jan. 25.
The schedule loaded by Breeze does show a change in the frequency of that Tampa flight, and it’ll take off on new days. It will depart from XNA every Monday, Friday and Saturday through mid-September, but it’ll remain a four-times-a-week flight until May.
Breeze started service at XNA in June last year, offering the flights to Tampa. In July, it added nonstop flights to New Orleans and San Antonio. Flights to all three cities continue to occur from XNA.
The flights to Tampa will be the first time that the Breeze “Nicest” fare option has been available in Northwest Arkansas. The airline’s three fare categories — Nice, Nicer and Nicest — establish where passengers sit and whether checked and carry-on bags are included in the price.
The Nicest fare includes a first-class seat on the 220, two checked bags, a carry-on bag and perks such as priority boarding.
The highly-regarded Points Guy website in October reviewed the Breeze Airways version of the Airbus 220, describing it as a “show-stopper from a passenger experience perspective.” The airline has ordered 80 of the 220s, and it’s just started to receive the first of those planes.
