There's a new way to get from Florida's Gulf Coast to the rainforests and volcanoes of Costa Rica — and it's the first of its kind in more than two decades. US low-cost carrier Breeze Airways has launched twice-weekly nonstop flights between Tampa and Juan Santamaría International Airport, the main gateway to San José.

The route runs on Wednesdays and Saturdays aboard an Airbus A220 carrying 137 passengers. The outbound leg, flight MX2684, leaves Tampa at 6:40 a.m. and touches down in Costa Rica at 7:55 a.m. local time — early enough to make the most of your first day. The return, MX2685, departs San José at 8:55 a.m. and back in Tampa by 2:05 p.m. Eastern.

What makes this interesting is the gap it fills. Tampa hasn't had a direct Costa Rica link since the late 1990s, and Breeze is currently the only airline flying the route nonstop. Costa Rica's US connections have traditionally funnelled through hubs like Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Dallas and Atlanta — so a Tampa departure is genuinely new territory.

For Costa Ricans, it means another direct shot at Florida without the Miami or Fort Lauderdale detour. For US travellers, Tampa is a handy launchpad for the Gulf Coast — St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Sarasota are all within easy reach.

The route is the product of some behind-the-scenes work. Costa Rica's tourism board (the ICT) says it came together through an airline-attraction programme run with airport operator AERIS, announced back in March. For Breeze, founded by JetBlue co-founder David Neeleman, it fits the airline's playbook of connecting city pairs that have lost or never had nonstop service.

Pricing is the other headline. Fares were originally pitched from $129 one way, and the inaugural October 3 flight was showing from $179 in the lowest fare class. As always with low-cost carriers, that base price will move with demand — and expect extras like bags and seat selection to add to the total.

For holidaymakers, this opens up some easy combinations. Fly in Saturday morning, and you can be ziplining near Arenal or sipping coffee in the Central Valley by Sunday. On the flip side, Floridians get a quick escape to beaches like Manuel Antonio or Tamarindo without a connecting flight. With the northern winter season approaching, the timing works nicely for anyone planning a December or January sun break.

It's also a signal worth watching: Breeze doesn't tend to sit still, and a successful Costa Rica entry often leads to more routes and frequencies down the line. If you've been waiting for a cheaper, simpler path between the Gulf Coast and Central America, the options just got better.

Story via The Tico Times.