The Quintana Roo government's list of new winter routes includes three new nonstop routes from the US to Cancun, all with Breeze Airways: Tampa from December 19, 2026, on Wednesdays and Saturdays; Pittsburgh from January 7, 2027, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; and Richmond from January 8, 2027, on Mondays and Fridays. The same list has Newark to Tulum, twice a week from December 17, without naming the airline. All four cities share Cancun's clock until March 14, 2027. Around those first flights the sun sets between 6:10 and 6:21 pm, so an early-afternoon landing can still make a 5:00 or 5:30 pm session, and a late one is better saved for the next morning.
New nonstop flights change how families plan a winter trip to the Mexican Caribbean, and they change how we plan your photos too. Here are the new US routes for winter 2026-27, taken only from official announcements that we read on November 14, 2026, followed by the part we know best: how the hour you land decides when your first session can be.
New Nonstop Routes to Cancun
On October 18, 2026, Quintana Roo's governor, Mara Lezama, announced the new routes and extra flights reaching Cancun and Tulum this winter from Canada, the United States and Europe. Three of the new Cancun routes start in the United States, and Breeze Airways flies all three; Breeze and the three departure airports had announced them on May 5, 2026, with the days of the week.
| From | Airline | Days | Flights a week | First flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa (TPA) | Breeze Airways | Wed, Sat | 2 | Dec 19, 2026 |
| Pittsburgh (PIT) | Breeze Airways | Tue, Thu, Sun | 3 | Jan 7, 2027 |
| Richmond (RIC) | Breeze Airways | Mon, Fri | 2 | Jan 8, 2027 |
The route, airline, weekly flights and first flight come from the state's announcement, and the days of the week from each airport's announcement of May 5, 2026, which give the same first flights. New here means new for Breeze, not always for the city: when the routes were announced, Richmond's airport said the city had gone more than a decade without a nonstop to Cancun, Tampa's called Cancun Breeze's first route to Mexico from Tampa, and Pittsburgh's noted that American and Southwest already served the route seasonally. The Pittsburgh and Richmond airports describe their Breeze flights as seasonal, and none of these announcements gives a last flight date, so if your trip runs into spring, check the schedule for your exact dates. We left fares out because they change; the airline's site has today's price.
This table lists only what is new this season. For nonstop flight times from the big US cities, see our guide to flight times to Cancun from US cities; if you are flying from Canada, see new flights from Canada to Cancun and Tulum. Before you fly, our guide to Mexico entry rules for US travelers covers passports and the FMM.
Flying Into Tulum
Six of the seven Tulum routes on the state's winter list come from Canada. The one from the United States is Newark to Tulum, with two flights a week from December 17, 2026. The announcement does not name the airline, and by November 14, 2026 we had not found an airline announcement for this season with its days and dates, so it is not in our table. If your plans depend on it, find the airline that sells it and confirm the schedule for your exact dates, including when its season ends, before you book a hotel around it.
Which airport suits you depends on where you sleep, and our comparison of the Cancun and Tulum airports has drive times from each one to the main areas of the coast.
If you land in Tulum, you are probably staying in Tulum itself or up the coast toward Akumal, and that is where we suggest having your photos: close to where you sleep. We photograph on your hotel's beach or a quiet stretch nearby, so no one spends the best light in a car. Some hotels charge a fee for an outside photographer, which you pay to the hotel; we confirm your hotel's rule before the session. The sun also sets a few minutes later there: on December 17 the sun sets at 6:13 pm in Tulum and at 6:09 pm in the Cancun Hotel Zone.
“They met us on the beach right by our resort and led us through a great session”
Phil L., Google review
Our Tulum family photo guide covers beaches, the ruins and the best hours, and our guide to Puerto Morelos and Akumal family sessions covers the coast in between.
Same Clock as the East Coast
Tampa, Pittsburgh, Richmond and Newark all run on US Eastern time. Quintana Roo stays on UTC-5 all year: Mexico's time zone law places the state in its Southeast Zone, on the 75th meridian west, and allows seasonal clock changes only along the northern border. In winter that is exactly Eastern Standard Time, so from the first new flights in December until the US moves its clocks forward on March 14, 2027, there is no time difference at all. From that date until November, Cancun is one hour behind the East Coast.
For children, that makes this the gentlest kind of trip: dinner, bath and bedtime stay where they are at home, and a session at 5:00 pm feels like 5:00 pm. Our guide to the Cancun time zone and your kids' body clock goes further.
Your Landing Time and Your First Session
With two or three flights a week, your arrival and departure days are set by the schedule, so it helps to plan the session around them from the start. Online booking at ivaestudios.com/book offers five start times, all in Cancun time: 6:30, 7:00 and 7:30 am, and 5:00 and 5:30 pm. Any other time is arranged on WhatsApp. Here is the light on the first day of each new route, from the U.S. Naval Observatory:
| Date | Where | First light | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 17, 2026 | Tulum | 6:55 am | 7:19 am | 6:13 pm |
| Dec 19, 2026 | Cancun | 6:54 am | 7:19 am | 6:10 pm |
| Jan 7, 2027 | Cancun | 7:02 am | 7:26 am | 6:21 pm |
| Jan 8, 2027 | Cancun | 7:02 am | 7:26 am | 6:21 pm |
- Landing in the early afternoon. Count back from a 5:00 or 5:30 pm start: immigration and customs, the drive, check-in, something to eat and clothes out of the suitcase. If all of that fits, your arrival evening can work, and the light is kind at that hour, with sunset between 6:10 and 6:21 pm on these dates. Our Cancun airport transfers guide has drive times to each area.
- Landing late in the afternoon or at night. Keep the first evening for dinner and sleep, and look at the next morning instead. On these dates a 7:00 am start begins with the first light and a 7:30 am start just after sunrise, while 6:30 am still comes before first light.
- Our usual advice. With children, the second or third day is our favorite: everyone has slept, the kids have had their first swim, and there are still days left if the weather turns. Our guide to which day of your trip to book family photos explains why.
- The last morning. If your only free time is the morning you fly home, our guide to beaches near Cancun airport for a last-morning session has the options.
“They organized a last minute sunset shoot for our family with great art direction, and made it fun, short and efficient”
Marouchka G., Google review
For the rest of the season, our Cancun sunset times by month has sunrise, sunset and golden hour for the 15th of every month.
If Your Flight Changes
Airlines can adjust a new route's schedule before its first flight, so we keep booking flexible. There is no deposit: you pay at the end of the session, by card or in cash. Cancellation is free until one day before the session, so a schedule change announced ahead of time costs you nothing; message us on WhatsApp and we will look for another time that fits your new flights.
Our six collections run from 295 to 895 USD, with no per-person charge and no limit on the number of people. For families we recommend The Chapter: 60 minutes and 35 edited photos for 475 USD. On an arrival evening, The Keepsake, 45 minutes and 25 photos for 375 USD, asks less of tired children. A sneak peek arrives within 24 hours and the full gallery in 1 to 3 business days, in a private 4K gallery with unlimited downloads.
Our team, led by Vianey Díaz, has more than 20 years of photography experience and has photographed thousands of families and couples over those years. Since IVAE Studios was founded in 2023, we have delivered more than 500 sessions, rated 5.0 across 75 Google reviews. Our Cancun family photographer page shows what a session includes.
Sources Checked
Read on November 14, 2026. Airlines change schedules, so check again before you book.
- Quintana Roo government, October 18, 2026: winter routes to Cancun and Tulum, with airline, weekly flights and start date.
- Tampa International Airport, May 5, 2026: Breeze to Cancun twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, from December 19.
- Pittsburgh International Airport, May 5, 2026: Breeze to Cancun three times a week, seasonally, on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, from January 7, 2027.
- Richmond International Airport, May 5, 2026: Breeze's winter-spring seasonal route to Cancun, on Mondays and Fridays, from January 8, 2027.
- U.S. Naval Observatory: first light, sunrise and sunset for the Cancun Hotel Zone (21.135 N, 86.748 W) and Tulum (20.211 N, 87.465 W).
- Mexico's time zone law, last amended November 29, 2022: Quintana Roo on the 75th meridian west, with no seasonal clock change.
- NIST: US daylight saving time runs from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November.