U.S. carrier Breeze Airways will add San Diego International (SAN) to its network, with plans to launch five nonstop routes from the airport, including going against Southwest Airlines during the 2024 summer on transcontinental service to Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) in Pennsylvania.

SAN will become the fifth California airport served by Breeze on April 30, when the carrier opens service to Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) in North Carolina. The SAN-RDU route will be flown 3X-weekly.

All five new SAN routes will be operated with Airbus A220-300 aircraft.

From May 1, the airline will open 2X-weekly service from SAN to Jacksonville, Florida. On the same date, 4X-weekly flights to Norfolk International Airport (ORF) in Virginia will commence.

According to ORF CEO Mark Perryman, “San Diego is Norfolk’s 4th-ranked passenger demand market and well deserving of this nonstop coast-to-coast service.”

From May 2, Breeze will start 3X-weekly flights from SAN to Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). From May 3, the carrier will begin 2X-weekly service from SAN to PIT.

Four of the five routes being launched from SAN will be exclusive to Breeze, while the carrier will compete against Southwest Airlines on the SAN-PIT route.

PIT notes the route has not been flown by an airline since 2019. Southwest will fly between SAN and PIT 1X-weekly on Saturdays from June 8 through August, according to PIT. Breeze will fly the route on Fridays and Mondays.

Breeze says it will also offer same-plane, one-stop service daily to SAN from both Providence, Rhode Island, and Bradley International Airport (BDL), which serves Hartford, Connecticut.

“San Diego is one of the U.S.’s most popular summer destinations, with great food, beautiful beaches and popular family attractions,” Breeze President Tom Doxey says in a statement.

RDU CEO Michael Landguth says the new transcontinental route to SAN connects the Raleigh-Durham area’s growing technology sector to “another prominent technology hub,” adding: “Breeze will offer [RDU-originating passengers] a convenient and low-cost option to get to the West Coast business and leisure destination.”

SAN will become the 46th airport in Breeze’s network. The growing carrier founded by David Neeleman launched service in May 2021 with 16 airports in its initial route map. It currently serves Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Orange County, San Bernardino and San Francisco in California.

Additionally, Breeze unveiled three seasonal routes it will operate on its summer 2024 schedule. 

The carrier will open 2X-weekly seasonal service between RDU and Westchester County Airport in New York from May 3. Also on that date, it will commence 2X-weekly seasonal service between LAX and Charleston, South Carolina. The prior day, the airline will kick off 3X-weekly seasonal flights between BDL and CVG.