Airlines Schedule Record Capacity to Caribbean, Florida from PIT This Winter

Pittsburgh International Airport is expected to see its highest capacity to two of its most important sun markets in nearly two decades as airlines anticipate strong demand for leisure travel this winter and into spring 2027.

PIT will see one of its largest schedules to the Caribbean on record. During the first quarter of 2027, airlines are scheduled to increase scheduled seats from over 4,800 to more than 15,600 on nonstop flights to the region, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, the highest total since 2005.

Pittsburgh’s Florida service is also on the rise. During the fourth quarter of 2026, scheduled seats on nonstop flights are expected to increase 5.8 percent from the same period last year, marking the highest total for the market in 20 years. Capacity is also on pace to break a 20-year high during the first quarter of 2027.

Breeze Airways and Southwest Airlines are the leading carriers in year-over-year growth at PIT through the remainder of the 2026. In this year’s fourth quarter, Breeze’s total scheduled capacity is up 31 percent while Southwest’s is up 9.3 percent.

Caribbean Service Expands with More Flexibility

PIT has worked with its airline partners to expand service to the Caribbean, with a particular focus on adding more weekday options to popular destinations such as Cancun, Mexico, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Breeze will enter both markets with seasonal nonstop flights beginning Jan. 7, 2027. Each route will operate three times weekly on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays with Airbus A220-300 aircraft.

Cancun and Punta Cana are Breeze’s first international routes from Pittsburgh. The airline began international operations in January 2026 after receiving flag carrier status from the FAA, providing the certification necessary to operate international routes.

To Cancun, Breeze joins existing seasonal scheduled service from American Airlines and Southwest, as well as charter service from Apple Vacations and Vacation Express. To Punta Cana, Breeze joins American’s scheduled service, which launched in December 2025, along with charter service from Apple Vacations and Vacation Express.

Together, the new Breeze flights and existing service will give PIT four weekly nonstop flights to each destination, compared with one weekly flight during the same period last year.

Southwest will also expand its seasonal Cancun service, resuming Saturday flights Feb. 13, 2027 — nearly one month earlier than in previous years. American will resume its seasonal service to Cancun Nov. 7, 2026, and Punta Cana Dec. 19, 2026, with Saturday flights operated by Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

Florida Takes Off with New Routes, More Frequencies

Florida remains PIT’s largest market, accounting for nearly a quarter of the airport’s total traffic. Airlines continue to respond to strong demand with new routes, increased frequencies and earlier seasonal resumptions across the state.

Breeze will launch Pittsburgh’s first nonstop service to Vero Beach, one of Florida’s fastest-growing tourist markets. The route will become the airport’s 64th nonstop destination from PIT, with flights operating three times weekly on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays through April 2027 on Airbus A220-300 aircraft.

To Fort Lauderdale, Allegiant Air will join existing daily service from JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines on the route, which was formerly served by Spirit Airlines. Allegiant will operate three times weekly on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays beginning Oct. 2, 2026, with Airbus A320 and new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. Fort Lauderdale is Allegiant’s 14th nonstop destination from PIT and its 10th in Florida — more Florida destinations than any other carrier serving Pittsburgh.

Allegiant will also add a fourth weekly flight to Punta Gorda beginning in February 2027.

Southwest is expanding several of the top Florida destinations it serves from PIT. The airline will increase its Orlando service to as many as seven daily flights, up from five, and add a third daily flight to Tampa beginning in October 2026.

From January through March 2027, Southwest will add a second daily flight to Fort Myers and expand seasonal Miami service from weekend-only to daily. The airline will also launch weekly nonstop service to West Palm Beach on Feb. 11, 2027, joining Allegiant’s three-times-weekly service.

Both Southwest and Allegiant will move up the resumption of their seasonal service to Destin-Fort Walton Beach, from June to March 2027. Southwest will also add a Sunday flight to complement its existing Saturday service, which began in June 2026.

Breeze will add weekly flights to Fort Myers and Tampa in January 2027 and move up the resumption of its seasonal Jacksonville service from May to March.

Frontier Airlines will increase its Orlando service this winter from less-than-daily to daily. Delta Air Lines will also resume seasonal nonstop service to Orlando Dec. 19, 2026, with five-times-weekly flights during the holiday period before transitioning to Saturday-only service through April 2027. Flights will be operated with two-class Embraer E175 regional aircraft.

More Service Beyond the Sun Markets

The growth extends beyond Florida and the Caribbean, with several key business and leisure markets — including destinations on the West Coast — also expected to see more service year-over-year through the end of 2026 and into 2027.

To Europe, PIT’s total capacity is up 50 percent from the fourth quarter of last year, driven by Aer Lingus’ nonstop service to Dublin, launched in May 2026.

The Irish carrier operates four weekly flights to Dublin for most of the year, with a brief pause in January and February. The service complements British Airways’ year-round nonstop flights between Pittsburgh and London-Heathrow.

American Airlines will resume nonstop its service between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles Oct. 5. The route, along with several others throughout American’s network, was paused in August and September due to high fuel prices stemming from the ongoing Middle East conflict.

American will return with daily Boeing 737 service, joining United Airlines, which resumed service between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles in March 2026 with up to daily flights.

Southwest continues to operate its four weekly nonstop flights to San Diego, marking the first time the airline has operated nonstop service on the route through the winter since entering the market in 2024. Flights are scheduled to continue through March 2027.

Key business markets will also see additional service this fall. American will operate more mainline Airbus aircraft on its five daily flights to Chicago-O’Hare and continue its peak six-daily-flight schedule to Philadelphia. Southwest has extended its second daily flight to St. Louis through the end of 2026, compared with one daily flight last year. United Airlines is also scheduled to operate more capacity on its service to Chicago-O’Hare year-over-year.

Seasonal Routes Get an Earlier Start

PIT has also worked with several airlines to extend seasonal routes, move up seasonal resumptions and, in some cases, transition seasonal service to year-round operations in response to strong demand and route performance.

Myrtle Beach, another former Spirit market, will see additional service from both Breeze and Southwest. Breeze, which launched twice-weekly service in July 2026, has made the route year-round and will increase service to four times weekly in March 2027. Southwest will also extend its seasonal Myrtle Beach service in 2027, moving its spring resumption from June to March.

Breeze will add a third weekly flight to Charleston, S.C., in January 2027. The airline has also extended seasonal service to Louisville through January 2027 and will move up the resumption of its seasonal Norfolk/Virginia Beach service from May to March 2027.

In addition, Breeze will operate Greenville-Spartanburg service year-round for the first time since launching the route in 2025.