There were no live announcements or explanations about the delays until the pilot lightened the mood before we boarded. Officials tried to ease the overloaded waiting area by only allowing New York-bound passengers through TSA, but that caused even more confusion as standing Connecticut-bound passengers were forced to move out of the way.
The number of people at a standstill before the security checkpoint seemed like a safety or fire hazard. That meant up to 264 people crowded the airport. Two Breeze flights worth of passengers quickly overcrowded the security waiting room and check-in area.īreeze later confirmed to me the flights were delayed because of “aircraft maintenance” on the earlier flight, adding “Given limited gate availability and issues with crew time, the flight on the aircraft at the gate had to be resolved first before (the Hartford) aircraft could be brought to the gate for boarding.” Those passengers, who already went through the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint, were forced to go back out to the public area and eventually go through security again.Įlite had a 50-seat plane, whereas Breeze's aircraft had nearly three times that many. Passengers told us the earlier flight to Westchester/White Plains, New York, was severely delayed because of issues with the plane. Our check-in process took fewer than 5 minutes, but we could barely move around the area because of the number of people waiting. We sacrificed waiting room comfort for a 10-minute drive to the airport. Having flown Elite Airways in 2016, we knew space at the Vero Beach Regional Airport was tight. I support and want to see Breeze and Vero Beach succeed in commercial flights.īut my family’s experience exposed multiple flaws that need to be addressed quickly to make this a better option for local and regional travelers. It’s not fair to judge the new airline and local airport on a single experience.
After the delays, the airline required everyone in my party - including my 4-year-old - to create a separate Breeze account with an individual email address to receive any compensation for the troubles.Īs my 11-year-old daughter, Ryley, put it, our Breeze Airways flight from Vero Beach was anything but a breeze.
The problem and lack of communication led to confusion, frustration, overcrowded waiting areas and even people smoking in the bathroom. The issue led to nine non-weather-related delays totaling more than four hours for our March 18 outbound flight. Timeline: From Eastern to Elite to Breeze, here's a short history of the Vero Beach airport
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