Florida Getting There & Away

Getting There & Away

Unless you live in the southeastern United States, you might as well fly. The days of the seventeen-hour family voyage down I-95 from Philadelphia and New York are over; most major airports will have at least one airline offering $39 or $49 flights to some Florida city. You'll have to rent a car once you get there, but it will save you headaches and you'll arrive refreshed or, at any rate, still able to tolerate each other.

Major airports are Miami, Orlando International (MCO), Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa. These airports will be served by almost every American Carrier. Ft. Myers, Jacksonville, Orlando-Sanford (SFB), and West Palm Beach airports are a bit smaller but also have a large amount of American and international carriers flying to them.  Smaller airports like Key West, Naples, Daytona Beach, Pensacola, Pannama City and Melbourne do recive some major airlines but mostly regional and commuter flights. From Europe: Miami, Orlando and Sanford will be your most likely points of transit. Miami is served by every major European carrier. Orlando has many British airlines flying there. Orlando-Sanford, which is near Orlando, is a main point of entry for European charter airlines. Tampa and Ft. Myers all have service to Europe. Tampa has service to London Gatwick with British Airways and Ft. Myers to Germany with LTU Airways.

From South America and Central America: Miami is called the gateway to the Americas. It is the largest hub for airline travel to Latin America. Miami and Ft. Lauderdale have service to Central and South America. Orlando also has some Central American airlines serving it.

From the Carribean: Miami again will be your most likely spot of transit when traveling from the Carribean. Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando also get some Carribean flights. Coming from The Bahamas, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Melbourne, Orlando, and Tampa all have non-stop flights serving the area, with Miami and Ft. Lauderdale having the majority of flights.

From Asia: No Asian airlines fly to Florida with the exception of El AL Airlines, the official airline of Israel, which flies to Miami. From Asia you will most likely stop at a major West Coast city.

From Africa: At this time no African airline flies to Florida. From Africa a stop in New York or a major European city will be needed. But South African Airways will soon be starting service to Miami International Airport.

From Canada: Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, Ft. Myers, and West Plam Beach all have non-stop service to Canada.

Planes from almost every airline in the entire world land at Miami International airport; every Latin American carrier of any size is represented, as are all major and most minor European carriers, a handful of African airlines, and many Asian air carriers. Flying into Miami can be easy and relatively inexpensive for international travellers; check flights and fares on minor air carriers convenient to you, since chances are they'll offer better rates than their larger competitors. Orlando hosts a great variety of international carriers as well, but not nearly as many as Miami.

Rail service via Amtrak is an option as long as you live along the Silver Meteor/Silver Star routes from New York through Washington to Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, or Miami, or along the Sunset Limited route from L.A. through Houston to Pensacola, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, or Miami (the Sunset Limited route is currently closed east of Houston due to Hurricane Katrina; Amtrak reports it may not be operational until sometime in 2006).

One very cool option for people living in the Washington, D.C., area, is to drive to Lorton, Virginia, and put yourself and your car on board the Auto Train to Sanford. There's not much to see in Sanford, but it's almost in the center of the state and is especially near Orlando and Daytona. It's a fun experience (and not a half-bad way to move, either), although it can be a bit expensive.

Greyhound (and other carriers) also provide tons of bus service to and amongst most cities in Florida.