Summary

  • Breeze Airways resumed its popular route from Orlando to Orange County late last month.
  • This route is exclusively served by Breeze, with John Wayne Airport (SNA) offering a less congested travel experience.
  • Breeze service returns after being paused in October 2023.

After more than six months, Breeze Airways has resumed its seasonal nonstop service between Orlando and Orange County. The flight, which directly connects Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California, began last week and will run throughout the summer.

Breeze first offered service between the two destinations on its Airbus A220-300 aircraft in February 2023. It was put on hiatus in October for what was initially planned to be a four-month hiatus, but it was much longer.

Flight details

According to aviation data and analytics firm Cirium, Breeze restarted the service on May 29th and will be offered three times weekly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays through August 17th. Los Angeles independent local affiliate KTLA reported that one-way tickets on the route cost as low as $89. From Orlando International Airport (MCO), MX522 will journey west to John Wayne Airport (SNA). The return flight is MX522.

Flight Number

Origin

Departure Time

Destination

Arrival Time

Duration

Equipment

MX522

Orlando International Airport (MCO)

09:45

John Wayne Airport (SNA)

11:59

5 hours, 14 minutes

Airbus A220-300

MX523

John Wayne Airport (SNA)

12:45

Orlando International Airport (MCO)

20:29

4 hours, 44 minutes

Breeze Airways Airbus A220-300

Photo: Breeze Airways

David Neeleman, Breeze’s CEO, commented on the service resuming.

“Our ‘Disney to Disney’ route has been one of our most popular and we’re happy to be bringing it back for our guests in Orange County.”

What is so special about SNA?

Breeze is the only airline to serve the route, which undoubtedly caters to travelers seeking a more convenient way to reach either Disney property. Many visitors to and from Disneyland typically fly through Los Angeles International Airport. It is the largest airport in the Southern California region and a hub for American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. There are several daily nonstop flights to and from MCO, but it is often more congested.

Additionally, SNA is much closer to Disneyland. The airport is about 13 miles away from the resort and takes no more than 30 minutes, traffic permitting. On the contrary, LAX is around 35 miles away and likely takes an hour, if not more, to reach the resort. With Breeze resuming the route, LAX and SNA will be the only Los Angeles-area airports to offer nonstop flights to MCO.

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Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) and Long Beach International Airport (LGB) have never had service to and from MCO. Last year, Frontier Airlines operated MCO service from Ontario International Airport (ONT), but cut the route in January of this year – likely due to underperformance.

A seven-month hiatus

Breeze paused MCO-SNA flights in October 2023 as it no longer catered to seasonal demand. According to KTLA, the airline originally planned to temporarily cut the service for four months from November 14, 2023, to February 14, 2024, but it decided to move up the hiatus to October after SNA reportedly asked all airlines to “temporarily reduce their capacity through the end of the year.” However, the service did not begin as planned in February, and the pause was extended by another three months to late May.

Breeze Airways Airbus A220

Photo: christopheronglv | Shutterstock

Orlando is not the only Florida destination within SNA’s route network. Breeze also operates seasonal twice-weekly service to Tampa International Airport (TPA), and American Airlines offers daily flights to its hub at Miami International Airport (MIA).

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