2 days ago
How Accurate Weather Forecasting Helps Breeze Airways Keep Flights Smooth, Safe And On Time
At Breeze Airways, a low-cost carrier known for serving smaller, less-trafficked airports, flight planning starts long before wheels leave the ground, and weather plays a starring role.
"We start by analyzing the weather both nationally and internationally to identify potential hotspots for operational risk," said Garrett Urry, Manager of Flight Dispatch at Breeze Airways. "We use that information to generate our routes for our flight plans. Then we work with air traffic control as well to make sure that the route that we're filing is a route that we can actually predict that we're going to get."
For Breeze, which operates out of hubs in Charleston and Akron, flying into smaller, secondary cities comes with unique weather-related challenges. The airline relies heavily on weather tracking and forecasting tools from The Weather Company – including Fusion and Maverick Dispatch – to identify hazards like thunderstorms, hail and lightning, but also less obvious threats.
"Hot weather or high altitude airports have a great effect on us," Urry said, highlighting airports in Provo, Utah, and Las Vegas as presenting unique challenges. "If we don't have cooler weather or if we don't have supporting headwinds, it can really impact our payload capabilities of the aircraft and we could be bumping guests. We could be delaying into a later hour. Those are the little things that really make a massive difference in our operation."
Breeze's proactive approach to weather isn't just about avoiding turbulence. It's essential to profitability and passenger satisfaction. According to Urry, a simple misread forecast can delay or cancel four to eight flights and cause a ripple effect throughout the day.
"A 30-minute delay can turn into cancellations by the end of the day because of how much that puts us into negative weather," he said.
To stay ahead, the dispatch team begins building each flight's release two hours before departure and continues to monitor conditions in real time.
"We have 10 cities in Florida that we're operating in and out of," Urry said. "If we're not monitoring and making sure that what was forecasted and what we were expecting is actually what's going to happen, then we can get behind that eight-ball really, really quick."
Confidence in the forecast builds confidence across the board, starting in the cockpit. "The pilot's confidence is one of the most important things," Urry said. "Making sure that the pilots feel equipped, that they feel like they're ready for the challenges of everyday flight is really important because when they're confident, our guests are confident, which makes the entire operation run more seamless."
For Breeze, guest comfort plays a big role in weather-driven decisions. "We can't predict everything," admits Urry, explaining that even during turbulent weather, the flight dispatch team does their best to stack the cards in the passengers' favor.
"When it's an expected event that's going to occur during a flight, the guests are generally a lot more, 'OK, this was expected,'" he said. "But if you leave them in the dark and you're not using those forecasting tools, it can really put them into a bad situation."
What makes the difference is accurate, dependable forecasting, and a partnership that helps minimize surprises.
"Having the team at The Weather Company has been an absolute delight," Urry said. "Having them come back and reaffirm our thoughts and our opinions with supported information is so critical and it has allowed us to operate at times where we would have not otherwise been able to operate."
Breeze's partnership with The Weather Company has helped the airline maintain some of the highest Net Promoter Scores in the industry, Urry said, and has provided a foundation for the airline's growth and reliability.
"Without accurate weather reporting, we really can't do our jobs well. It's like going through the dark without a path forward," he said. "But this gives us a clear path. This gives us a way to operate, a way to have confidence, a way to be able to provide the best experience for our guests."
lead editor Jenn Jordan explores how weather and climate weave through our daily lives, shape our routines and leave lasting impacts on our communities.
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