Travelers between Florida’s Gulf Coast and Costa Rica have a new nonstop option. Breeze Airways has completed its first two flights from Tampa to Juan SantamarÃa International Airport, ending a gap of more than 25 years without direct service between the two cities. The inaugural flight landed on Saturday, Oct. 3, and the second followed on Wednesday, Oct. 7. More than 100 passengers were reported aboard the first flight.
Breeze, a U.S. low-cost carrier founded by aviation entrepreneur David Neeleman, is now the only airline flying the route nonstop. Flights operate every Wednesday and Saturday on Airbus A220 aircraft with 137 seats. The schedule is built around a morning arrival. The flight leaves Tampa at 6:40 a.m. and reaches Costa Rica at 7:55 a.m. local time.
The return leaves at 8:55 a.m. and lands in Tampa in the early afternoon. The trip takes a little over three hours. Breeze announced introductory one-way fares from $129 when it opened bookings for its nonstop service between Tampa and San José in March. Actual prices vary by date and demand and of course, as with most low-cost carriers, checked bags and seat selection can add to the base fare.
Marcos V. Borges, executive president of the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT), welcomed the new connection. He said each new route brings more tourists and creates opportunities for families and businesses in communities across the country. Borges added that the flight came out of the ICT’s airline-attraction program, which it runs with the private sector.
Ricardo Hernández, executive director of AERIS, the company that operates Juan SantamarÃa, said the route widens the options for traveling directly between Costa Rica and the United States. The ICT said it will start a advertising campaign in high-traffic areas of Tampa in late October to promote the flight. The United States remains Costa Rica’s largest source of visitors. According to the ICT, about 1.2 million U.S. travelers arrived by air between January and August 2026.
The route also gives Tampa Bay flyers a way to reach Costa Rica without connecting through Miami, Fort Lauderdale or another hub. San José is Breeze’s fifth international destination and its first in Central America. Tampa International Airport has noted that Costa Rica is Florida’s ninth-largest trade partner and that about 3,000 Costa Rican-born residents live in the Tampa Bay area. The new flights arrive just as the northern winter travel season is about to begin.
Breeze sells tickets through its website and mobile app.
