GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – July 30, 2008 – Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) scored high on offering inexpensive flights based on a report of all major airports in the country during the first quarter of 2008. The report, released by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), ranked FLL fourth overall for lowest fares and third overall for largest fare decreases. Average fares at the airport dropped 7.7% to $238 in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period in 2007.

Additionally, a new report from Orbitz for Business listed Greater Fort Lauderdale seventh on its list of business travel markets with decreased average air fares.

Nationally, air fares rose 4.4% to $332. The BTS bases its average costs on domestic itinerary fares; both round-trip and one-way flights are taken into consideration. Fares include taxes and fees.

"This latest report confirms that Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is not just one of the most convenient airports in the nation – it is only a 10-minute ride to downtown, the beaches, and convention center – it is also among the least expensive offering lower airfares," said Nicki E. Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.

FLL also is holding relatively steady for overall flights, with service additions coming in place of those being cut helping Greater Fort Lauderdale maintain its tourism level. Many routes that are being decreased or altogether dropped by one carrier are being picked up by others, and entirely new services are being added to and from destinations like Kansas City, Albany, Las Vegas, Scandinavia, Portugal and Colombia. The relative steadiness of flights to and from FLL comes at a time when other major airports are seeing significant decreases in overall air service.

Some examples of service replacements and additions at FLL include:

• Starting this November, Spirit Airlines will add two flights to Chicago and American Airlines will add one. Spirit and JetBlue will add one flight each to Washington, D.C. and Southwest will add a flight to Denver in August.  These flights will ultimately make up for United Airlines eliminating two daily flights from Chicago, one from Washington Dulles and one from Denver.
  
• Also in November, Spirit Airlines will add three flights from San Juan for a total of six per day.  These flights will make up for American Airlines cutting its three daily flights to San Juan in September.
  
• AirTran Airways will add a nonstop daily flight from Milwaukee in November. The service will effectively replace Midwest Airways' service cut from Milwaukee.  During the same period, Spirit Airlines will add two daily flights from Atlanta to mitigate Delta Airlines and AirTran Airways cutting three flights per week.
  
• White Airways of Portugal has commenced charter service into FLL, while in the fall charter service with several operators from Scandinavia will bring passengers in from Helsinki and Oslo.

About Greater Fort Lauderdale
The new Greater Fort Lauderdale is a vibrant, "beach chic" destination offering more than 33,000 hotel rooms at a variety of hotels, resorts, and Superior Small Lodgings, plus new high-end, luxury resorts and more to come. Nearly 11 million annual visitors enjoy Greater Fort Lauderdale's 23 miles of Blue Wave Beaches, 300+ miles of inland waterways that run from the Intracoastal to the Everglades, more than 4,000 restaurants, top shopping, and a thriving arts and culture scene.  For more information, contact the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau at (800) 22-SUNNY or visit http://cms.sunny.org/cms/articles/.

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07/2008