Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport - Flights To Ft Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdaleâ€"Hollywood International Airport (IATA: FLL, ICAO: KFLL, FAA LID: FLL) is in unincorporated Broward County, Florida, United States, bounded by Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Dania Beach, three miles (5 km) southwest of downtown Fort Lauderdale and 21 miles (34 km) north of Miami. The airport is near cruise line terminals at Port Everglades and is popular among tourists bound for the Caribbean. Since the late 1990s, FLL has become an intercontinental gateway, although Miami International Airport still handles most long-haul flights.

It is the largest base for Spirit Airlines, catering mainly to the airline's international to domestic network, and it is a hub for JetBlue and Norwegian Long Haul. It is also a focus city for Allegiant Air and Southwest Airlines. In 2016, the top five air carriers by market share were: JetBlue Airways at 25%; Spirit Airlines at 19.6%; Southwest Airlines at 17.5%; Delta Air Lines at 11.3%; and American Airlines at 8.3%. FLL is ranked as the 21st busiest airport (in terms of passenger traffic) in the United States, as well as the nation's 14th busiest international air gateway and one of the world's 50 busiest airports. FLL is classified by the US Federal Aviation Administration as a "major hub" facility serving commercial air traffic. In 2016 the airport processed 29,205,002 passengers (8.4% more than 2015) including 6,055,415 international passengers (10.1% more than 2015).

History

Merle Fogg Airport opened on an abandoned 9-hole golf course on May 1, 1929. At the start of World War II, it was commissioned by the United States Navy and renamed Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale. The base was initially used for refitting civil airliners for military service before they were ferried across the Atlantic to Europe and North Africa. NAS Fort Lauderdale later became a main training base for Naval Aviators and enlisted naval air crewmen flying the Grumman TBF and TBM Avenger for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps aboard aircraft carriers and from expeditionary airfields ashore. NAS Fort Lauderdale was the home base for Flight 19, the five TBM Avengers that disappeared in December 1945, leading in part to the notoriety of the Bermuda Triangle.

NAS Fort Lauderdale closed on October 1, 1946 and was transferred to county control, becoming Broward County International Airport.

Commercial flights to Nassau began on June 2, 1953 and domestic flights began in 1958â€"59: Northeast Airlines and National Airlines DC-6Bs flew nonstop to Idlewild, and Northeast flew nonstop to Washington National. In 1959 the airport opened its first permanent terminal building and assumed its current name.

In 1966 the airport averaged 48 airline operations a day; in 1972 it averaged 173 a day. The Feb 1966 Official Airline Guide shows three nonstop departures to JFK and no other nonstops beyond Tampa and Orlando; five years later FLL had added nonstops to ATL, BAL, BOS, BUF, ORD, CLE, DTW, MSP, LGA, EWR, PHL and PIT. (Northeast's nonstop to LAX had already been dropped.) By 1974 the airport was served by Braniff International Airways, Delta Air Lines, Eastern Air Lines, National Airlines, Northwest Orient Airlines, Shawnee Airlines and United Airlines. By 1979, following deregulation, Air Florida, Bahamasair, Florida Airlines, Mackey International Airlines, Republic Airlines, Trans World Airlines and Western Airlines also served the airport.

Low-cost traffic grew in the 1990s, with Southwest opening its base in 1996, Spirit in 1999, and JetBlue in 2000. Spirit made FLL a hub in 2002 and in 2003 JetBlue made FLL a focus city. US Airways also planned a hub at Fort Lauderdale in the mid-2000s as part of its reorganization strategy before its merger with America West. Low-cost competition forced several major legacy airlines to cut back service to FLL, with United pulling out entirely in 2008 and American Airlines moving its New York and Los Angeles services to West Palm Beach in 2013.

During the 2005 hurricane season FLL was affected by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Wilma. Katrina struck land in late August as a Category 1 and made landfall on Keating Beach just two miles from the airport (near the border of Broward and Miami-Dade counties) with 80 mph (130 km/h) winds but caused only minor damage; however, the airport was closed for about a 48-hour period. However, when Hurricane Wilma made landfall in October roof damage was reported along with broken windows, damaged jetways, and destroyed canopies. The airport was closed for a period of 5 days. Hurricane Wilma was a Category 2 when its center passed to the west of FLL.

In February 2007 the airport started fees to all users, including private aircraft. It is one of a handful of airports to administer fees to private pilots. A minimum charge of $10 is assessed on landing private aircraft.

On October 11, 2016, Emirates announced that they would operate a flight from Dubai to Ft. Lauderdale daily using a Boeing 777-200LR. The airline decided on Fort Lauderdale instead of Miami, which has considerably longer runways and better facilities for long haul flights, because of its codeshare agreement with JetBlue. The airline started flying on December 2016. On October 27, 2016, British Airways announced a flight from London Gatwick to Ft. Lauderdale three times a week, would begin July 6, 2017.

A shooting took place at the airport on January 6, 2017, claiming five lives and injuring eight.

Facilities

Fort Lauderdaleâ€"Hollywood International Airport covers 1,380 acres (558 ha) and has two runways:

• 10L/28R: 9,000 x 150 ft (2,743 x 46 m) Asphalt
• 10R/28L: 8,000 x 150 ft (2,438 x 46 m) Concrete (Opened September 18, 2014.)

Silver Airways has its headquarters in Suite 201 of the 1100 Lee Wagener Blvd building. When Chalk's International Airlines existed, its headquarters was on the grounds of the airport in an unincorporated area.

Construction

Expansion of 10R/28L Runway

In 2003 plans to expand the facility started. Proposed improvements include an extension of runway 10R/28L, construction and modifications to the airport's taxiway system to provide for increased speed, improved inter-terminal passenger movement and extensive terminal upgrades. The plan was updated a second time in April 25, 2006. Complaints by nearby communities about noise, along with concerns about buyout requirements, delayed construction that is expected to keep Fort Lauderdaleâ€"Hollywood International Airport viable through 2020.

On June 5, 2007 Broward County commissioners voted six to three in favor of extending the southern 10R/28L runway. The proposal looks to extend the runway to 8,000 ft in order to accommodate larger aircraft and to allow airplanes to land side by side at the same time. The proposal was approved by the FAA and expansion of the south runway is now complete, with the opening of the runway in September 2014. The crosswind runway (13/31) was decommissioned on May 6, 2013. All four terminals, now having 57 gates, will have 97 with the completion of a new long-haul international Terminal Four and Concourse A at Terminal One. By 2020, Ft. Lauderdaleâ€"Hollywood is projected to handle 36 million passengers annually.

Demolition and Reconstruction of Terminal Four

During and after the expansion of runway 10R/28L, reconstruction of Terminal Four will begin at the cost of $450 million. The H concourse will be demolished to build the new "G" concourse. In this process four new gates will be added. Concession space will be increased from 2,128 ft² to 28,000 ft² and a secure walkway will be added to connect terminals three and four.

Terminals

Fort Lauderdaleâ€"Hollywood International Airport has four terminals. Terminal 1, commonly referred to as "The New Terminal," opened in stages between 2001 and 2003 and was designed by Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum and Cartaya Associates. The other three terminals were constructed in 1986 and designed by Reynolds, Smith & Hills as part of a $263 million construction project. Terminal 4, commonly referred to as the International Terminal, was inaugurated by a Concorde visit in 1983. Since 2005, T4 has been undergoing renovations and a major expansion designed by PGAL/Zyscovich joint venture. The airport announced that Terminal 1, common known as "The New Terminal", will undergo $300 million makeover. Construction began in late 2015 and is expected to be completed in June 2017.

Terminal 1 â€" New Terminal (yellow)

• Terminal 1 has two concourses (B & C) and 18 gates. Southwest Airlines has been given the greenlight for the construction of Concourse A. Gate B1 has been closed for the Concourse A expansion. Gates B2 and C1 have also been closed for the new food court being built.

• United Airlines operates a United Club in Concourse C, which opened with the new Terminal in May 2001 as a Continental Airlines Presidents Club.
• This Terminal is only used by Southwest, Alaska, Allegiant, Frontier, Silver, Sun Country (Charter), United, Virgin America, and WestJet.

Terminal 2 â€" "Delta" Terminal (red)

• Terminal 2 has one concourse (D) and 9 gates.
• Delta Air Lines operates a Sky Club here â€" one of six clubrooms in the state of Florida.
• This Terminal is only used by Delta, Delta Connection, Air Canada, and Air Canada Rouge.

Terminal 3 â€" Main Terminal (purple )

• Terminal 3 has two concourses (E & F) and 20 gates.
• In May 2013 a food court opened in Concourse F with a Pei Wei, Jamba Juice, and a Steak 'n Shake.
• This Terminal is only used by Azul (Departures), Bahamasair, American, American Eagle, Norwegian, JetBlue, Spirit (Departures), Air Transat and Sunwing* (Arrivals).

Terminal 4 â€" International Terminal (green)

• Terminal 4 has two concourses (G/H) and 11 gates. H1, H3 and H5 are closed due to the expansion of Terminal 4.

• Note: Terminal 4 handles all non-precleared international arrivals, in addition to the departures listed in the table.
• Concourse H is currently being reconfigured and designed by the architectural firms of PGAL/Zyscovich joint venture. The new three-story facility renamed Concourse G will have 14 new gates, 11 of which are international/domestic capable and one arrivals area for bussing operations. New concessions and approximately 50,000 s.f. of administrative offices for the Aviation Department are being designed on the upper levels of the facility. Western Expansion began construction in 2013. Currently, gates G10-G14 on the west end are operational and in use. Eastern expansion began in spring 2016. An expanded Federal Inspection Services facility will also included in the new Eastern Expansion construction.
• This Terminal is only used by Air Transat, Avianca, Cape Air, Caribbean, Copa, Emirates, Spirit, Sunwing*, TAME, American (International Arrivals), American Eagle (International Charter Arrivals), Azul (Arrivals), Norwegian (Arrivals), JetBlue (International Arrivals), Silver (International Arrivals), WestJet (Arrivals), IBC Airways, and SkyBahamas.

Airlines and destinations

International flights which depart from Terminal 1, Terminal 2, or Terminal 3 are denoted with an asterisk.

When non-precleared international flights arrive at a Terminal other than 4, then all passengers will be transported by bus to the Customs Facility in Terminal 4. This process can take up to 45 minutes.

Passenger

Cargo

Statistics

Top destinations

Annual traffic

GA overcrowding reliever facility

See Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport

Ground transportation

FLL is served by Broward County Transit bus Route 1 which offers connecting service through the Central Terminal in Downtown Fort Lauderdale, and also service to Aventura, in Miami-Dade County.

Rail service between Miami and West Palm Beach is provided by Tri-Rail commuter rail service at the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport station, accessible via a free Tri-Rail shuttle from the main terminals. The shuttle stops at 3 locations at the airport, all on the lower level: west end of terminal 1, between terminals 2 and 3, and between terminals 3 and 4. The shuttle operates 7 days a week.

The airport also offers airport parking and operates a consolidated rental car facility which can be accessed from Terminal 1 by a short walk and from the other terminals by a free shuttle bus service.

Accidents and incidents

On May 18, 1972, an Eastern Air Lines McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 had its landing gear collapse and tail section separate during landing. The aircraft then caught fire but all passengers and crew were able to safely evacuate.

On July 7, 1983, Air Florida Flight 8 with 47 people on board was flying from Fort Lauderdale International Airport to Tampa International Airport. One of the passengers handed a note to one of the flight attendants, saying that he had a bomb, and telling them to fly the plane to Havana, Cuba. He revealed a small athletic bag, which he opened, and inside was an apparent explosive device. The airplane was diverted to Havana-José Martí International Airport, and the hijacker was taken into custody by Cuban authorities.

On November 19, 2013, an Air Evac International Learjet 35 crashed shortly after take-off from the airport, on its way to Cozumel, Mexico, after calling mayday and during an attempt to return to the airport, possibly due to engine failure, leaving 4 persons dead.

On October 29, 2015, Dynamic Airways Flight 405, a Boeing 767-246ER (N251MY) was taxiing to a runway to take off for a flight to Caracas, Venezuela. when its left engine caught fire due to a fuel leak. The crew immediately stopped the airplane and fire crews arrived on the scene. All 101 passengers and crew were evacuated the aircraft, and 17 passengers were transported to a hospital. All runways were shut down and air operations ceased at the airport for three hours.

On October 28, 2016, Fedex Express Flight 910, a McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10F cargo aircraft (N370FE) arriving from Memphis, Tennessee, caught fire after its left landing gear collapsed upon landing. The fire destroyed its left engine and wing. The three-person crew evacuated the aircraft safely.

On January 6, 2017, a mass shooting occurred in the baggage claim area of Terminal 2 of the airport. Five people were killed, nine others were injured. The shooter was taken into custody without incident and was identified by authorities as Esteban Santiago-Ruiz. Santiago acted alone.

References

External links

Media related to Fort Lauderdale â€" Hollywood International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Fort Lauderdaleâ€"Hollywood International Airport (official site)
• "Fort Lauderdaleâ€"Hollywood International Airport".  brochure from CFASPP
• Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum (History of Ft. Lauderdale â€" Hollywood Airport)
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective February 2, 2017
• FAA Terminal Procedures for FLL, effective February 2, 2017
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KFLL
  • ASN accident history for FLL
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KFLL
  • FAA current FLL delay information