Silver Airways begins nonstop flights to Daytona Beach
Auto racing season begins Jan. 26 in Daytona Beach, and Silver Airways can help South Florida fans avoid more than three hours of driving on Interstate 95.
The Fort Lauderdalebased airline announced the beginning of daily non-stop flights on Thursday.
Introductory one-way fares from $43 are available for travel on or before Jan. 31, and $59 each way for travel through May 22 if booked before Jan. 31. Travelers can book the fares at silverairways.com.
Flights between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Daytona Beach last roughly an hour and 30 minutes.
The airline recently unveiled its first themed aircraft called Tortuga One in honor of the city’s minor league baseball team, the Daytona Tortugas, that plays in historic Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Tortuga is the Spanish word for turtle.
The Saab 340 aircraft features colorful joint branding, including the team’s logo depicting a fierce turtle at bat.
The Tortugas begin their season in Daytona Beach at 7:05 p.m. April 4.
Daytona Beach is best known for hosting NASCAR’s premier event, the Daytona 500, which caps what’s commonly known as Speed Weeks in and around Daytona International Speedway.
This year, Speed Weeks begins Jan. 26 with the 24 Hours of Daytona sports car race and wraps up with the Daytona 500 on Feb. 17.
Bike Week, a gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts, runs March 8 through 17.
Fort Lauderdale and Daytona Beach are linked in Florida history as the first cities to promote themselves as destinations for college students on Easter vacation.
The events, which came to be known as Spring Break, peaked in the 1980s as students overfilled both cities, leading to crackdowns by police and ultimately, decisions to stop promoting to the students.
Spring Break continue in both cities in more subdued forms.
In addition to Daytona Beach, Silver Airways flies from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to numerous destinations in Florida, including Key West, Orlando, Pensacola, Tallahassee and Tampa, plus eight destinations in the Bahamas.