PHOTOS COURTESY: SHUTTERSTOCK — BREEZE AIRWAYS WILL SOON OFFER NONSTOP FLIGHTS FROM PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

The deep freeze of winter is about to settle in on the ’Burgh — the perfect time to plan a nonstop flight to sunny California.

Breeze Airways, the low-fare airline founded by aviation entrepreneur David Neeleman, announced Wednesday the airline will begin offering nonstop flights to Orange County, California, from Pittsburgh International Airport in March 2023.

Flights will operate year-round on Mondays and Fridays on Breeze’s new Airbus A220-300 aircraft, according to Blue Sky News. If purchased by Tuesday, Dec. 13, for travel by Sept. 5, 2023, passengers will pay one-way fares of $139, $179 or $199 for the airline’s Nice, Nicer or Nicest sections.

Breeze also announced it will resume service between PIT and Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Virginia, which was suspended in September. Flights to Norfolk/Virginia Beach will resume May 18 and operate on Thursdays and Sundays.

“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, in a Breeze Airways press release. “Thank you to our partners at Breeze for recognizing our market demand as they continue to invest in Pittsburgh.” 

Breeze becomes the second airline to fly nonstop between PIT and Southern California — a key West Coast market from Pittsburgh, especially for the growing film industry here. Currently, Spirit Airlines flies daily nonstop service to Los Angeles International Airport.

Breeze will be the first airline to link Pittsburgh and Orange County with nonstop service since US Airways, which operated the route until September 2003. 

By next summer, Breeze will fly to six cities nonstop from PIT. In November, Breeze announced new nonstop service to New Orleans and resumed service to Hartford, Connecticut, starting Feb. 3. The airline also serves Charleston, South Carolina, and Providence, Rhode Island.

You can find these flights on the airline’s website or the Breeze app.