Machol Miami does not endorse or recommend any particular airline.  The information is provided here only in order to assist the participants in Machol Miami 2010 to find the most convenient flights to the event.

December is high season in Florida, and some flights may be expensive or sold out if bought at a short notice.  Many airlines typically offer special "sale" air fares just when the summer ends.  The beginning of September is usually the best time to grab those rates, which may be surprisingly low.  Some "sales" last through October and November, but seat availability for the best dates may be limited or non existent.  The bottom line: please book your flights early to get the best airfares and most convenient dates.  

Both Fort Lauderdale airport and Miami International Airport are convenient gateways to the event.  The hotel is right by the Fort Lauderdale airport, and provides a free shuttle service from and to the airport, so flying to Fort Lauderdale airport is more convenient.  The Fort Lauderdale airport has gone through a tremendous expansion in the last few years.  What used to be a sleepy, cozy airport has been replaced by a mega-size international facility, to the sorrow of some locals and the great benefit of visitors from out of town.  The airport is served by scores of airlines;  many are budget airlines that find it easier to operate there than in Miami.  Miami International Airport is linked to Fort Lauderdale Airport by a train service.  If you land in Miami you can take the Tri-Rail to the Fort Lauderdale Airport station - the Sheraton is across the street from it.  See more details in the South Florida section.

Most major US airlines fly to Fort Lauderdale, Miami or both. Both Delta Airlines  1-800-221-1212 and US Airways 1-800-428-4322 have a strong presence in Fort Lauderdale airport, and sometimes offer very competitive airfares.  Delta also operates its low-fare subsidiary Song Airways, on flights to Fort Lauderdale.  Other major airlines which offer flights to Fort Lauderdale and Miami include American Airlines, United Airlines and Northwest Airlines.  

From Canada there is a service to Fort Lauderdale both on Air Canada and on the charter company Air Transat (1-800-655-8284).

 Low Fare Airlines

All the airlines listed below fly to Fort Lauderdale or Miami. Many of them tend to offer low fares, but this is not always the case - so check carefully.  The order of the listing reflects the tendency to offer low prices -- those who tend to offer lower prices are listed first.  Click on the route maps below to enlarge them.

Spirit Airlines 1-800-772-7117

Spirit Airlines flies to Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach from the Midwest, the Northeast and California.  They frequently offer convenient departures and budget rates with no restrictions.  They use the convenient downtown airports such as Chicago/O'hare, Washington DC/Reagan and New York/LaGuardia in several cities served by multiple airports . Some other of their departure airports include Detroit, Newark, Atlantic City (30 minutes from Philadelphia), Los Angeles and Oakland/San Francisco Bay. 

JetBlue Airways  1-800-538-2583 (1-800-JetBlue)

JetBlue operates a fleet of all new Airbus planes, equipped with individual 24-channel video monitors.  It usually offers budget-priced flights with no restrictions, and sometimes has great internet fares.  The airline offers several non-stop flights a day from its hub in New York/JFK to Fort Lauderdale.  It also serves (via JFK) other airports such as Rochester NY, and from the West Coast Seattle, LA/Ontario, LA/Long Beach and SF/Oakland.

America West 1-800-235-9292

This airline has an extensive network of flights from the West Coast to  Fort Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach.  It serves cities such as Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego mostly via its hub in Phoenix, Arizona.  It also flies to South Florida from Dallas and Houston as well as Vancouver, BC.

Southwest Airlines 1-800-435-9792

Southwest has an extensive network of flights across the county, and it offers flights to Fort Lauderdale not only from the southwest, but also from the northeast.  Some of its flights from the northeast are routed through Baltimore/Washington airport.  

Air Tran  1-800-247-8726  

This airline serves both Fort Lauderdale and Miami, usually through its hub in Atlanta.  Flights depart from Minneapolis, Chicago/Midway, Boston, Buffalo, New York/LaGuardia, Newark, Philadelphia, Washington DC/Dulles,  Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston/Hobby and, of course, Atlanta. The airline tends to offer one flight a day which is cheaper than the others - check it out.  

Midwest Airlines 1-800-452-2022

The airline offers direct flights from its hub in Milwaukee to Fort Lauderdale. It also connects to Fort Lauderdale through Milwaukee from several cities in the Midwest and the West Coast. 

 

South Florida