WPRO News and The Associated Press
A new airline says it plans to begin flying passengers before the end of the month.
Breeze Airways said Friday that it will begin flying May 27, and will start flights in and out of T.F. Green Airport in Warwick beginning in late July.
The airline will start mostly with short hops around the Southeast, but it plans to serve 16 cities by late July, including more places in the East and Midwest.
At Green Airport, Breeze plans four times per week flights to Charleston, South Carolina, Norfolk, Virginia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, starting at $39 dollars one-way.
Rhode Island Airport Corporation CEO and President Iftikhar Ahmad said in a ceremony at Green Airport on Friday that no representative from Breeze Airways attended because the Utah-based start-up was announcing it would commence operations at 16 airports around the country.
Gov. Dan McKee was among officials applauding the new airline, along with Warwick Mayor Frank Picozzi and Rhode Island House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi of Warwick.
Iftikhar said Breeze held out the prospect of expanding flights to the West Coast and Europe.
Breeze is the creation of David Neeleman, who started JetBlue Airways and several other airlines.
