Breeze Air Charters - Travel to the Caribbean with Multi-Destination Itineraries
Most travelers glance at a map of the Eastern Caribbean with its long chain of islands and assume island hopping must be easy. Quick and inexpensive, right? Unfortunately, the reality is that there is little inter-island connectivity in the Caribbean on commercial flights, especially with numerous independent island nations. Even islands near one another, such as St. Maarten and St. Croix, separated by less than 120 miles, do not have a direct flight between them. Island residents generally must fly to a hub such as San Juan or Miami before flying back to the Leeward islands to reach their destinations, often losing a travel day on both sides.
Enter the Austin brothers, Adrien and Mario. Born and raised on St. Thomas, they watched this travel conundrum plague the region, for both Caribbean residents taking regional trips and visitors seeking multi-destination travel. A true gap in tourism offerings, with no FAA part 135 fixed-wing charter operator based on the island. The active 2017 hurricane season further exacerbated this logistical challenge in the region, a catalyst for the Austin brothers to leverage their transportation expertise and enter the private aviation sector. In 2020, they launched Breeze Air Charters, to simplify and expedite inter-island travel in the Eastern Caribbean. Chief Pilot Matthew Stewart was the next addition to the team.
With extensive research, it was decided to base the Breeze Air Charters fleet on Pilatus aircraft. The PC-12 was chosen first for its impeccable safety record and ability to land on the short runways of even the smallest Caribbean islands. Known for its large-scale cargo door and the capability to land on even unpaved runways, Pilatus aircraft are efficient and comfortable. The Breeze Air Charters PC-12 interior was upholstered by BMW for added luxury, seating up to nine passengers. This aircraft has a range of more than 2,100 miles.
Specializing in destinations throughout the Eastern Caribbean, Breeze Air Charters commonly flies from the Turks and Caicos Islands to Trinidad and Tobago. One of the most popular destinations with clientele is St. Barthelemy (St. Barts). The island’s airport is nestled between two hills with a short runway, so very few aircraft can safely land there. The Pilatus PC-12 is one of those specialized aircraft and Breeze Air Charters has the special permitting from the French government to fly directly into St. Barts.
Another popular French island in the Caribbean is Guadeloupe. As an example, a traveler initially flies to St. Croix (U.S. Virgin Islands) and wants to visit Guadeloupe on the same trip. To travel the mere 190 miles between the two islands on commercials flights, it requires more than 21 hours of travel time, three flights, and costs approximately $2,200 per person one-way (according to Travelocity.com). Breeze Air Charters can reduce that travel time to one hour and the cost for a private, on-demand charter to less than $600 per passenger.
No one wants to wait to start their vacation. As savvy travelers know, every commercial flight is a risk (particularly considering the travel difficulties of recent years). It puts a holiday in danger due to delays or cancellations. If a passenger gets stuck amid connections, it can cost days off work and irreplaceable time with loved ones.
Breeze Air Charters was created to make inter-island travel in the Caribbean faster and more reliable. In 2022, the company is growing with additional aircraft and pilots. Both residents and visitors have discovered the new option to enjoy more time on vacation versus getting there. The Breeze Air Charters team continues to escalate the client experience with travel packages. On-board catering and wine/liquor provisioning are also available in conjunction with Standard Aviation, the fixed-base operator at which Breeze Air Charters is headquartered on St. Thomas.
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