Flying to Miami is getting easier

Looking to fly to Miami from the wide, wide world? Your international options are taking off. Airline Network News and Analysis says over the past 12 months Miami International Airport (MIA) registered the biggest jump in new international routes among US  airports. That ties it with Los Angeles International, with each adding 10 new international runs in the year to May, 2017. The second half of 2017 promises even more international action at Miami. Among the additions: Aer Lingus launches three weekly flights to Dublin September 1, SAS begins weekly flights to Stockholm October 29 and El Al again makes an appearance in the MIA market November 1 with thrice-weekly nonstops to Tel Aviv. MIA, say airport officials, handles a full 70 percent of all international visitors to Florida. And don’t mistake MIA for a pure leisure gateway: the airport is a formidable business gateway too. It’s home to American Airlines’ vaunted Latin American hub, connecting what some refer to as the “capital city of South America” with much of the rest of the planet. While it has its share of low-fare carriers, most of the cheap seaters serving MIA are long-range operations: WOW air, Eurowings, airberlin and the like. If you’re in search of closer-in low-fare flights to the Caribbean, Central and near South America it pays to take a look at What Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL) has to offer. Located 21 miles (34kms) north of MIA, FLL is a magnet for low-fare airlines.  JetBlue, Spirit and Southwest dominate the tarmac at there. FLL and MIA are keen competitors. MIA lays claim to offering “more flights to Latin America and the Caribbean than any other U.S. airport,” says Miami-Dade Aviation Director Emilio T. González.  That’s one of the reasons it “continues to attract a diverse mixture of airlines from around the world”.