Welcome to the #PaxEx Podcast, which tracks the evolution of the airline passenger experience and industry’s sustainability initiatives. We’re pleased to share our interview with Breeze Airways Chief Guest Officer Fiona Kiesel which was conducted on the sidelines of the APEX Global Expo in Long Beach.
Where does Breeze sit in the sustainability narrative? That’s among the questions some industry observers are asking — and a question that Kiesel addressed for Runway Girl Network— after Breeze founder and CEO David Neeleman challenged IATA chief Willie Walsh’s position on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) during the World Aviation Festival in Amsterdam.
“[A]t the end of the day, if you look at our business model, there’s a few things — purely organically — that make our operation very, very eco-friendly. For example, our aircraft, the A220, is 25% more fuel efficient than other similarly sized fleet types. [We’re focused on] point-to-point flying so we’re going direct in a lot of these cities…,” she told RGN.
“And in the airports that we fly in, you’re not going to see 20-30 minute taxi times, right? You’re not going to see all of that equipment. We use equipment that’s existing in the airports. So we’re really fitting ourselves into existing footprints without adding a lot of additional equipment.”
During our conversation, Kiesel divulged that Breeze has opted to defer retirement of its final Embraer E-Jets. She also provided an update on the carrier’s Viasat Wi-Fi equipage program and shared details about its efforts to expand internationally. Additionally, she addressed why Breeze’s ‘seriously nice’ value proposition, inclusive of the Safran-made Ascent recliners up front, is resonating with passengers including autistic travelers.
Music license: Adventurous Life by L-Ray Music, PremiumBeat by Shutterstock
