Pittsburghers who love Disneyland, beaches, and sunshine can rejoice. Pittsburgh International Airport is getting a new flight to Orange County in Southern California.
The low-cost carrier Breeze Airways announced Tuesday it will be flying nonstop between Pittsburgh and John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, Calif., starting on March 31. Breeze will operate Orange County flights on Mondays and Fridays on a year-round basis. Breeze will utilize the new Airbus A220-300 aircraft on these flights.
It will be the first time Pittsburgh has direct access to Orange County since 2003, when US Airways operated nonstop service between the two regions.
Breeze Airline President Tom Doxey said he is excited about starting up the new flight to Southern California, and said it will give Pittsburghers direct access to Disneyland, which is about 20 minutes from John Wayne Airport.
“The newest nonstop route will allow guests and families in the greater Pittsburgh area to visit one of the biggest and most loved theme parks in the world,” said Doxey.
The Breeze service to Orange County marks the second nonstop flight to Southern California from Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT). Spirit Airlines currently flies daily nonstop to Los Angeles International Airport, about 40 miles north of John Wayne Airport.
“Nonstop service to Orange County on Breeze is a great win for Pittsburghers, providing even more options to reach Southern California in 2023,” said Bryan Dietz, Senior Vice President of Air Service & Commercial Development at PIT.
Breeze has been expanding rapidly at PIT. By next summer, the airline will fly to six cities nonstop from Pittsburgh, including New Orleans, Charleston, S.C., Providence, R.I., Norfolk, Va., and Hartford, Conn.
In 2021, Breeze received $560,000 in subsidies from the Allegheny County Airport Authority — which operates PIT — to help start up four new flights out of Pittsburgh.
Airport authority spokesman Bob Kerlik said the Orange County route did not receive any upfront incentives, but he noted that Breeze is eligible for landing fee waivers and reimbursements for marketing expenses on the route, which is true of any new, unserved route.
