Breeze Airways will begin flying to Costa Rica tomorrow, opening a new nonstop connection between Tampa, Florida, and Juan Santamaría International Airport near San José. The start comes more than six months after the U.S. low-cost airline announced the route. Breeze will operate the service twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, using an Airbus A220 with capacity for 137 passengers.
Saturday’s inaugural flight, MX2684, is scheduled to leave Tampa International Airport at 6:40 a.m. and arrive in Costa Rica at 7:55 a.m. local time. The aircraft will then return as flight MX2685, departing San José at 8:55 a.m. and arriving in Tampa at 2:05 p.m. Eastern time.
The route gives Costa Rica a nonstop link with Tampa that has been absent for more than 25 years. Breeze is currently the only airline scheduled to fly nonstop between the two cities. For travelers in Costa Rica, the route offers another direct option to Florida without having to connect through Miami, Fort Lauderdale or another U.S. airport. Tampa also serves as a useful gateway for travelers heading to Florida’s Gulf Coast, including St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Sarasota.
The flight is particularly noteworthy because Tampa is not one of the traditional U.S. gateways for Costa Rica tourism. Most nonstop service between the two countries has historically been concentrated in cities such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and major northeastern markets.
The ICT said when the route was announced in March that the new service was the result of its airline-attraction program with airport operator AERIS and Breeze. The airline’s arrival also adds another U.S. carrier to Juan Santamaría as Costa Rica gets ready for the start of the northern winter travel season.
Breeze, founded by aviation entrepreneur David Neeleman, has focused much of its growth on connecting cities that have limited or no nonstop service between them. Tampa International Airport said the Costa Rica route fits that strategy by restoring a direct connection that had disappeared for more than two decades.
Tickets are already on sale and Breeze’s webiste today showed the inaugural Oct. 3 Tampa-to-San José flight available from $179 one way under its lowest fare category, although prices change depending on the travel date and availability. The airline had initially promoted fares on the route starting at $129 when service was announced.
The first arrival is scheduled for Saturday morning at Juan Santamaría, marking Breeze Airways’ official entry into the Costa Rican market.
