America’s two startup airlines from the class of 2021 appear to be headed for their first profitable years.
Avelo, the smaller by a bit of the two, even had a profit in the last quarter of 2023, its first since operations started in spring 2021. It’s operating over 60 routes connecting a bit over 40 airports with a fleet of 16 used 737s, and expects to add five more planes this year.
The other upstart, Breeze, hasn’t turned the corner yet, but founder David Neeleman, told reporters that he expects a profit this year for his airline, too. Breeze is operating in 50 cities with 145 routes. It’s carrying a bigger financial load: after starting up with 16 leased Embraer E190s and 195s, it’s added 21 new A220s, with another 69 on the way, 10 of them this year.
