FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Breeze Airways and MacArthur Airport Welcome Fort Myers (RSW) Inaugural Flight and Expanded Vero Beach Service

Islip, NY – October 2, 2024 – Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) today celebrate the inaugural nonstop Breeze Airways flight to Fort Myers, Florida, along with the air carrier’s doubling of frequency to Vero Beach, Florida.

“Fort Myers and Vero Beach are destinations that Long Islanders love, and Breeze Airways recognizes this opportunity to provide the excellent customer experience and convenience our community has been requesting repeatedly. Offering Fort Myers service year-round is an important advancement for Islip’s MacArthur Airport and a strong selling point for Long Island air travelers,” said Town of Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter.

Elected officials, community and business leadership, Breeze Airways representatives, and airport customers gathered at Gate A2. The convenient gate is decorated with a festive Florida theme, blue and white balloons, and banners representing Breeze Airways’ nonstop MacArthur Airport destinations for remarks and an official ribbon cutting.

Breeze Airways announced the new flights between Fort Myers and Long Island MacArthur Airport and additional flights to Vero Beach on June 25. The service was immediately embraced both in Florida and on Long Island. Breeze will serve Fort Myers and Vero Beach with a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday schedule. Less than one month after this announcement, Breeze Airways revealed they will begin serving Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida nonstop 4x weekly (Sunday, Monday Thursday, Friday) starting November 21.

“So many Long Island residents have family in these Florida destinations and frequently want to gather for visits and celebrations throughout the year. Many also have businesses, rental properties, and second homes. Others just want to relax with their toes in the sand,” Carpenter said. “We also appreciate the importance of encouraging and enabling travelers from Florida to explore Long Island, bringing jobs and prosperity to businesses in Nassau and Suffolk counties as visitors enjoy our airport and community. The Town Board and I are thrilled to welcome this additional air service,” she added.

As well as the Florida destinations, Breeze will continue nonstop flights to Charleston, Norfolk, and Raleigh-Durham along with BreezeThru service (one-stop / no plane change) to New Orleans. BreezeThru flights to Jacksonville will be returning soon. Check out www.FlyBreeze.com

“Breeze Airways’ commitment to Long Island is clear and we are thrilled to work with this ‘Seriously Nice’ air carrier on additional flights and destinations,” said Airport Commissioner Shelley LaRose-Arken. “We’re proud to be the airport where Breeze Airways received its air carrier certification from the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2021, and to be the first New York airport the carrier selected to serve,” she added.

Breeze Airways inaugural flight will feature the carrier’s new Airbus A220 aircraft, which offers the airlines’ First Class product called Breeze Ascent. As Breeze Airways builds towards the goal of an all A220 fleet by the end of this year, the carrier also operates Embraer 190-195 aircraft on some routes. This fast-growing airline now flies to over 170 destinations across the U.S.

“There's nothing like flying Breeze from Long Island MacArthur Airport. We’re nice people, flying nice people, to and from nice places. Travel + Leisure readers voted us one of the best domestic airlines for the third year in a row, and we’re the airline industry’s only ‘NLCC’ or ‘Nice Low Cost Carrier’,” said Breeze Airways’ Founder and CEO David Neeleman. “Guests earn BreezePoints with every flight, enjoy free Wi-Fi onboard, and may choose Flex, Nice, Nicer, or Nicest fares for total flexibility depending on their preferences,” he added.

“In working with Town and MacArthur Airport leadership and listening to customers and the Long Island community, we were able to see that a key factor in making Fort Myers service successful was to offer it year-round,” said Breeze Airways Co-Founder and Vice President Corporate Real Estate and Airport Development Jim Smith. “Fort Myers has grown beyond being a seasonal route and we’re delighted to offer these new flights so Breeze Airways Guests both in Fort Myers and on Long Island can count on them as they regularly and comfortably travel throughout the year,” he added.

“It’s been a particularly energizing summer and early fall at ISP with many air service announcements. We’ve also recently completed many capital projects, upgrades and additions, along with marketing MacArthur Airport in both Nassau and Suffolk counties to gain new customers and widen the airport’s reach,” said Deputy Airport Commissioner Rob Schneider. “We’re looking forward to the new Breeze Florida service and to welcoming their additional routes and air service in the weeks ahead,” he added.

ABOUT LONG ISLAND MACARTHUR AIRPORT: MacArthur Airport is on Long Island approximately 50 miles from New York City. It is the closest airport to 2.8 million Long Island residents, and to world-renowned attractions including the famous Hamptons, Wine Country, lighthouses, Fire Island, excellent theatre, award-winning restaurants, and Gatsby-era mansions. The Town of Islip owns and operates the airport, served by Breeze Airways, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines. Access to the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) makes getting around Nassau and Suffolk counties convenient. Train service from the Ronkonkoma / MacArthur Airport LIRR to New York City provides frequent transport. Long Island MacArthur Airport employs 6000 people directly and indirectly, with a $16M annual operating budget and an economic impact of $600M to the region and local economy.

Additional Airport & Town of Islip resources:

FlyMacArthur.com
MacArthur Airport Facebook
MacArthur Airport Twitter/x
FlyMacArthur Instagram
Town of Islip Linktree

ABOUT BREEZE AIRWAYS
Breeze Airways began service in May 2021 and has been ranked as one of the U.S.’ best domestic airlines for the last three years by Travel + Leisure magazine’s World's Best Awards and was awarded “Best Seat Comfort in North America” in June 2024 by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX). Breeze offers a mix of more than 170 year-round and seasonal nonstop routes between 59 cities in 29 states. Founded by aviation entrepreneur David Neeleman, Breeze operates a fleet of Embraer 190/195 and Airbus A220-300 aircraft, with a focus on providing efficient and affordable flights between secondary airports, bypassing hubs for shorter travel times. With seamless booking, up to 24-months of reusable flight credit and customized flight features – including complimentary family seating - delivered via a sleek and simple app, Breeze makes it easy to buy and easy to fly. Learn more about Breeze’s flight offerings via our site or the app.

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