See inside Breeze's sleek new Airbus A220 aircraft, which the airline will fly on 18 transcontinental routes this summer

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• Breeze Airways flew its first transcontinental route using the Airbus A220 aircraft on May 25.
• The plane will fly 18 coast-to-coast routes this summer, like from Las Vegas to Syracuse, New York.

Breeze has officially debuted its brand new aircraft, the Airbus A220.

Breeze Airways A220-300 aircraft.      Breeze Airways/Business Wire

The plane flew 5.5 hours from San Francisco to Richmond on May 25, marking the first of 18 transcontinental routes the plane will fly this summer.

Breeze Airways A220 at the gate in Richmond on June 8. CEO David Neeleman flew on this flight.      Taylor Rains/Insider

The sleek jet joins Breeze's fleet of Embraer 190 and 195 aircraft. The carrier has 80 A220s on order with an option for 40 more.

Breeze CEO David Neeleman with an Embraer jet during the inaugural flight in May 2021.      Taylor Rains/Insider

According to Breeze, one A220 will be delivered per month for six years, and the carrier expects to have 13 planes total by the end of 2022.

Breeze Airways's first Airbus A220-300.      Breeze Airways and Airbus

Breeze's A220 comes in two configurations — the initial version has 126 seats and later deliveries will have 137 seats. The difference between the two is the number of first class and extra legroom seats.

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The higher-capacity version has fewer "Nicest" seats, which is the carrier's first class equivalent, and more "Nicer" seats, which are extra legroom.

Breeze Airways A220 Nicer rows on its 126-seat version.      Taylor Rains/Insider

Specifically, the initial version has 36 Nicest seats, 10 Nicer seats, and 80 Nice seats. Meanwhile, future aircraft will have 12 Nicest, 45 Nicer, and 80 Nice seats.

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Insider toured the lower-capacity aircraft before flying on it from Richmond to San Francisco on Wednesday with CEO David Neeleman onboard. Take a took.

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Boarding the aircraft, the first thing I noticed was the unique floor design and large galley area. The entrance felt welcoming, and the jet still had that new plane smell.

I enjoyed the pretty flooring at the entrance when boarding.      Taylor Rains/Insider

There is also one lavatory in the front of the plane, as well as large overhead bins throughout the aircraft.

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Turning the corner, passengers will pass through Breeze's "Nicest" cabin, which features first class seats with 39 inches of pitch and 20.5 inches of width.

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I'm about 5'3" and on the smaller side, so I had plenty of space when trying out the giant seats. Even taller and larger passengers should feel comfortable.

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Despite Breeze being a low-cost airline, the loungers come with all the bells and whistles found on mainline carriers, like a legrest and deep recline…

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…an adjustable headrest…

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…power ports…

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…large seatback pockets and a coat hook…

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…two small shelves…

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…storage space…

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…and a tray table. The table folded out from the armrest and had a phone stand.

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There was a second stand on the seatback that was wide enough to prop a tablet, which is perfect for streaming movies and TV shows.

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Having first class on a low-cost carrier is rare, but Neeleman told Insider that people are willing to upgrade their fares on long-haul flights, particularly business travelers.

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Many customers want to fly as quickly as possible to their destination but mainline carriers with business or first class typically have a layover in a hub airport, extending the travel time.

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Adding first class to its transcontinental routes, Breeze is able to add more options to its customers. Neeleman explained people are willing to pay the upgrade for first, and it is still cheaper and faster than flying mainline.

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"If you do all the math, it works out that we are going to charge 50% more [for first]," he said. "Not twice or three times as much like the other airlines."

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What is good about Breeze's model is that customers who purchase a Nice or Nicer bundle can purchase a First Class seat without paying full price for the Nicest fare.

Breeze Airways

Breeze's other A220 cabin is economy, which features Nicer and Nice seats in a 2x3 configuration. This means some lucky passengers will not have to deal with a middle seat.

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The Nicer seats, which are Breeze's extra legroom rows, have 32+ inches of pitch…

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…while Nice is the standard economy seat with 30 inches of pitch.

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Unlike other low-cost airlines, Breeze offers amenities in its economy cabin, including power ports…

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…reclining seats...

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...stands for smartphones and tablets on the seatback...

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...adjustable headrests...

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...and large tray tables.

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The exit row had a tray table in the armrest, which is where the phone stand was.

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Trying out the standard economy seat, I was impressed with the legroom. Other carriers like Avelo, Spirit, and Frontier only offer 28-29 inches of pitch, while Breeze offers 30 inches.

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This is on par with the economy cabins in some mainline carriers, like Delta and United, according to SeatGuru.

Delta A321 Main Cabin.      Delta Air Lines

There are three lavatories onboard the A220 — two in the back and one in the front.

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They are small, but there is enough room to move around, and they have baby changing tables. No window, however, as seen in some other airline's A220s.

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Despite lacking the unique window, I was impressed with Breeze's A220. The jet was modern and fresh, and the comfortable seats and inflight amenities should make long flights easily bearable.

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