Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Southwest to add four new international routes
Southwest Airlines will soon be jetting to more international destinations around the Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale.
On Wednesday, the Dallas-based carrier opened sales for its new nonstop route from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Grand Cayman’s Owen Roberts International Airport, which is set to begin June 4, pending final government approval.
Travelers can take advantage of fares from $89 one-way from Fort Lauderdale to Grand Cayman, for purchase before 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 26, Southwest said. Introductory fares are valid for nonstop travel on Tuesdays or Wednesdays between June 6 and Aug. 9, and other rules and restrictions may apply.
In addition to Grand Cayman, Southwest plans to add nonstop service from Fort Lauderdale that same day to Cancun, Mexico; Montego Bay, Jamaica and Belize City, Belize, the airline announced earlier this month.
Neither Grand Cayman nor Belize City is served nonstop from Fort Lauderdale, which was part of the appeal for Southwest, spokesman Brad Hawkins said Wednesday.
“These are destinations where we feel our low-fare service and bags fly free [policy] can really make a difference and stimulate traffic,” Hawkins said.
Southwest’s ‘Bags Fly Free’ policy allows travelers to check two pieces of luggage weighing up to 50 pounds at no additional cost.
The four new routes will bring Southwest’s total international destinations from Fort Lauderdale to eight. They join Nassau, Bahamas and three cities in Cuba: Havana, Santa Clara and Varadero, which all launched in 2016.
Southwest is the third-busiest carrier at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood with 17.4 percent of passenger traffic in 2016 through November, the latest airport data available. The top carrier, JetBlue, has 25 percent, while No. 2 Spirit Airlines accounts for 19.6 percent.
The eight routes are part of Southwest’s larger plan to boost its international route map through Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood with the addition of a new five-gate concourse in Terminal 1, where it currently operates.
Concourse A — part of a $295 million modernization and expansion of Terminal 1 — is slated to open this summer to join Southwest’s existing Concourses B and C. The new facility will house a Customs and Border Protection inspection station and new restaurants and shops.
The low-cost carrier also plans to increase its domestic footprint from Fort Lauderdale this summer. On June 4, Southwest will extend its Philadelphia nonstop route from seasonal to a year-round frequency, Hawkins said. It also plans to add service between Fort Lauderdale and Washington Dulles International Airport that same day.
“Washington Dulles will be new for Southwest out of [Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood],”said Steve Belleme, the airport’s business development manager.
“Belize is new,” he added. “We have never had scheduled service before.”
Cancun and Montego Bay are currently served nonstop from Fort Lauderdale by other carriers, Belleme added.
Also on June 4, Southwest will resume nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale and Orlando,