Spirit Announces Nonstop Flights Between Fort Lauderdale and New Florida Beach Destination

It is now the only airline that offers direct flights between the two cities.

July 22, 2025

Image: two cyclists stand with their bikes in front of a cruise shop

Spirit is the first airline to offer direct flights between Fort Lauderdale and the Southernmost Point in the U.S. Photo by Watts via Flickr

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Driving from Fort Lauderdale to Key West takes about four hours, and the Brightline doesn't travel that far South. But now, another mode of transportation can get you from Broward to the Southernmost Point and back again.

Spirit Airlines announced today it will launch nonstop flights from Fort Lauderdale to Key West, making it the first airline to offer a direct route between the two cities.

Spirit, recently named the Best Airline Overall for 2025 by WalletHub, already operates in seven other Florida cities, including Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando, Pensacola, Tampa, and West Palm Beach. The new Key West flights start November 6, and are available for booking now.

Capitalizing on the winter travel demand, the airline will offer the 50-minute flights four times each week — on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays — in November and increase to daily flights starting December 18. Prices start at $79 for one-way flights booked by November 19. Of course, as with any good deal, there are caveats: Travelers must purchase flights at least 21 days in advance to take advantage of introductory fares, and holiday blackout dates apply from November 20 through December 2.

Customers who fly between Fort Lauderdale and Key West can choose between Spirit's three fare classes: Spirit First (including Big Front Seat access, complimentary snacks and drinks, and Wi-Fi), Premium Economy (with extra legroom or a blocked middle seat and priority boarding), and Value (seat selection, carry-on bag, and checked bags are purchased separately).

Before rejoining Miami New Times as culture editor in 2025, Celia Almeida freelanced for the paper starting in 2016, then came aboard as a staff editor in 2018. Beginning in late 2019, she served as digital editor for Ink. Her writing has been featured in Billboard, Consequence, Paper, and Rolling Stone, among other outlets.

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