Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport Parking

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport parking

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport Transfers

Guide to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport

• (+1) 954-359-1200
• FL 33315
• T1, T2, T3, T4
• Car, bus, train, taxi, rental
• Free access
• www.fll.net

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) is set between Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Dania Beach, about 20 miles (32.2 kilometers) outside Miami. Popular with cruise passengers heading for nearby ports, almost 30 million people pass through FLL every year, which puts it amongst the 20 busiest airports in the country and the 50 busiest in the world.

FLL is a focus airport for Southwest Airlines and Allegiant Air, as well as being the largest base for Spirit Airlines and a hub for JetBlue and Norwegian Long Haul. JetBlue, Spirit and Southwest are also the three largest carriers at the airport, accounting for more than 60 per cent of all passengers there.

Offering non-stop flights across the USA, Americas and Europe, with the busiest international routes flying to Central America and the Caribbean, FLL pumps over $13 billion into the local economy every year and is responsible for as many as 140,000 jobs.

An extensive modernization program is underway to extend runways and expand terminals and concourses, so Fort Lauderdale Airport is constantly investing in minimizing delays and congestion.

Location of FLL Airport

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport is located immediately next to the I-95 and I-595 about five miles (eight kilometers) from the center of Fort Lauderdale. The I-95 connects directly with the city center and major cities up and down the east coast, such as Miami, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and Jacksonville. Other Floridian cities such as Tampa, Fort Myers and Sarasota are connected by the I-75, which runs towards Fort Lauderdale, splitting into the I-595 at the edge of the city.

A mixture of public transport options is also available. Broward County Transit runs a route from the center of Fort Lauderdale to the rental car center at the airport and Tri-Rail has services running from West Palm Beach down to the airport rail station at Dania Beach, which has free shuttle connections to the airport itself.

History of FLL Airport

Fort Lauderdale International Airport opened as Merle Fogg Field in 1929, constructed by the US Navy primarily to fit civil airliners for military usage, though it was also used as a training facility for Navy pilots. After World War II, the airfield was surplus to military requirements and turned over to the county, which renamed it Broward County International Airport.

The first commercial flights didn't arrive until 1953, after which a trickle of carriers began to run flights at the airport; Northeast, Eastern, National and Delta had all established routes by 1959. In the same year, the first passenger terminal was constructed and passenger numbers reached 100,000 in a year for the first time.

The big development in the 1960s was the arrival of jets, which caused passenger numbers to leap up to a million annually over the next decade. Much more was to come as airline deregulation kicked in and Trans World Airlines (TWA), Western and a brace of smaller airlines added Fort Lauderdale as a destination. By the 1980s, passenger numbers were approaching 10 million and a major rebuild of the terminal complex was undertaken.

The low-cost airline boom of the 1990s brought Spirit to FLL, along with 5,000 new airport parking spaces, a new terminal and new concourses. Spirit and JetBlue both made the airport a hub city and passenger numbers exceeded 20 million by the end of the decade.

Since 2000, demand has continued to rise; 35 million passengers are expected annually by 2020 and further expansion work is underway to add food and retail space and double the number of gates in operation.

Airport facilities

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport hotel and parking

Many of the hotels located close to Fort Lauderdale Airport, including Hilton, Days Inn, Quality Inn and Best Western, offer off-site parking package deals for customers.

The Hilton Garden Inn is a typically luxurious choice with restaurants and room service available, whilst Best Western has the basic offering of a standard room with a TV.

You can book a hotel and parking package in advance at each of these hotels; all that’s required is that you stay at least one night at the hotel. In return, you’ll get up to two weeks of free parking with complimentary shuttle buses to the airport terminals and back.

Top things to do in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport

Explore the art program

Broward County arranges an art program in all its public spaces, which is why Fort Lauderdale Airport is an enthusiastic exhibition space in its own right.

Its collection includes almost 40 pieces specifically commissioned for the airport, including sculpture, installations, paintings, prints, light collages, photography and sound art. Finding your way to all the art around the airport gives you a great tour of the facilities and can easily fill a couple of hours with it. You can find a list of all the pieces on display on the Fort Lauderdale Airport Art Program Website.

Additionally, in Terminal 2, you can find the Lee Wagener Art Gallery, which rotates work by local artists and pieces from the airport's video art collection.

Meet the therapy dogs

Spending time with a friendly dog has proven to be an effective way to lift spirits and relax whilst waiting at an airport, especially if you're uncomfortable with flying or being amongst crowds.

The FLL AmbassaDogs program is staffed by volunteers and their pets, which have been trained as therapy dogs for meeting members of the public at the airport and other places like hospitals and schools.

From sweet little terriers to big happy Labradors, the team rotates so that a dog is at the airport to meet and greet passengers for at least a couple of hours every day of the week.

Like all the airport volunteers, dog handlers can also help you with basic directions and questions about the airport.

Enjoy the live music

FLL Terminal Tunes is a new program that invites talented artists from the local Broward County and Miami areas to come and perform live to passengers in the airport terminals.

Featuring a diverse range of styles from blues and jazz to choral and classical, the two-hour performances are held in various spaces throughout the terminals and rental car center. Some groups even roam the public spaces whilst performing on the move.

You can find out who is performing and when on the Fort Lauderdale Airport Live Music Website.

Relax in the airline lounges

One might assume that airline lounges are reserved exclusively for first-class passengers, but many airlines do, in fact, open their lounge doors to anyone and everyone for a small day membership fee.

Both Delta and United have lounges at Fort Lauderdale Airport to offer passengers free drinks and snacks, WiFi, newspapers, business services, TV and a members’ lounge to relax in away from the crowds of the airport.

Take an airport tour

This takes a little advanced planning, but can be a great way to pass some time if you're traveling in a group of five or more.

Mostly only taken by community groups and schools, you need to book a tour in advance to be able to walk around all the terminal buildings.

Featuring a full run-down of the airport history and operations, a look at the art program and information on how the airport relates to the local Broward County, tours also include some fun things for younger passengers, like a look over the airport fire trucks and getting to meet the county sheriff's K9 dog unit.

Top things to do near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport

Fort Lauderdale Beach

Running for miles along the east coast, Fort Lauderdale Beach is packed with perfectly soft sand and towering palm trees, but, outside the major holiday seasons, it is nowhere near as busy as the more famous Miami Beaches further south.

There are plenty of beachfront cafés and restaurants to get a bite to eat, as well as bicycle lanes and hire if you want to explore the coast. Central Beach is about eight miles (12.9 kilometers) from Fort Lauderdale Airport, so you’ll struggle to find a reason to avoid it.

Las Olas Boulevard

About seven miles (11.3 kilometers) from FLL Airport is Las Olas Boulevard, a vibrant riverside neighborhood full of restaurants, galleries, bars and boutiques.

This is undeniably one of the best stops for shopping in the city, since the boutiques are full of unusual and often unique finds, surrounded by a wonderful atmosphere and great places to eat and drink.

Broward Center for the Performing Arts

Covering more than five acres (two hectares) at the heart of Fort Lauderdale's Riverwalk Arts and Entertainment District, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts stages a diverse range of music and theater.

From classic performing arts like ballet and opera to rock and pop shows and contemporary Broadway musicals, the center is one of the most visited in the country and is only six miles (9.6 kilometers) from FLL International Airport.

Even the neighborhood itself is a sensory delight, with plenty of great restaurants and places to hang out before and after a show.

Bonnet House Museum and Gardens

The Bonnet House is a beautifully kept historic plantation-style home about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport.

Now kept as a museum, tours of the estate near Central Beach take in the art collection, artefacts from family travels, the furniture and architecture and relate it all to the history of the region.

It's all set in several buildings across the expansive estate, which includes stunning gardens and a tram tour around the property to take in the flowers and plants.

Intracoastal Waterway

Taking a water taxi ride along the Intracoastal Waterway is an unusually Floridian way to spend a sunny day. You can sit back, relax and watch a world of waterways, watercrafts, cruise ships, local wildlife, luxury homes and restaurants along the bustling route.

The Waterway is a mixture of natural inlets, rivers and canals running for 3,000 miles (4,828 kilometers) along the coast, creating an ideal water transportation route for commercial and pleasure boats.

You can catch a water taxi to take some of it in at the Hilton Marina about five miles (eight kilometers) from Fort Lauderdale Airport.

Museum of Discovery and Science

One of the largest of its kind in Florida, the Museum of Discovery and Science combines attractions like a 3D IMAX theater, simulators for space, air and water travel and a wide collection of native Floridian wildlife.

The exhibits are designed to be interactive and engaging for children and there are lots of opportunities to get up close and personal with creatures like otters, baby alligators and sea turtles.

About six miles (9.6 kilometers) from FLL Airport, the eclectic museum is a great way to fill a day.

Stranahan House

Stranahan House, originally built as a trading post in 1901, is now the oldest structure in the whole of Broward County.

It’s open daily for tours and regular special events, but it won’t take up a ton of your time. Regardless, it delivers a perfectly authentic look at the history of Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding area.

The building was also used as a community center and the owners were deeply involved in the local community itself, so the building, contents and guide tell a detailed story of what life was like for them in the early 1900s.

It’s only six miles (9.6 kilometers) from FLL Airport.

Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum

The Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum is a niche museum dedicated to the history of the Packard Motor Co, with a breathtakingly extensive collection of cars and other memorabilia from its history.

Located five miles (eight kilometers) from Fort Lauderdale International Airport, this is an essential visit for anyone with a love of motor cars, but the beauty of the engineering on display has a far wider appeal than that.

By focusing on just one manufacturer, you can see the fascinating design developments and trends moving from model to model as the automobile market developed.

Which terminal?

Fort Lauderdale International Airport is arranged into four terminals with 25 carriers spread across them and Southwest Airlines and Allegiant Air using it as a focus city. Each carrier manages departures and arrivals from one unique terminal, so as long as you know your carrier, it's simple to find your way to the right gate.

Moving between terminals takes just a few minutes by catching the courtesy shuttle buses that rotate between the terminals, parking lots and rental car center.

Volunteer Airport Ambassadors are on hand throughout FLL to provide basic help and assistance. If you need to ask any questions in advance of traveling, you can call FLL customer services on (+1) 954-359-1200 or speak directly to your airline for inquiries such as reserving a wheelchair.

How to get to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport

Useful tips

Book for quiet times if possible

With the modernization of terminals in progress, FLL is very close to capacity and is often extremely busy, so try to book flights departing or landing in the early afternoon or late evening if you can. That’s when the airport is at its most manageable.

Prepare for delays

Capacity issues cause regular delays and overwhelm the WiFi access and concessions at FLL. Until the terminal expansion work is completed, you’re advised to prepare for delays of a few hours, especially if traveling with children. Modernization has been completed in certain areas and the improvement to the facilities, such as ticketing, baggage and security systems, is noticeable.

Avoid sleeping at the airport if possible

Fort Lauderdale landside is open 24 hours a day, but airside shuts down almost entirely overnight, with none of the food, drink or retail concessions remaining open.

There are plenty of nearby hotels with complimentary shuttle services to and from the airport, but if you have to sleep at FLL, make sure you get some snacks and drinks before everything closes.

Quick check-ins for cruise passengers

If you're flying through Fort Lauderdale Airport after a cruise, check with your cruise line beforehand because many of them have a faster, remote baggage check-in service at the airport, which will remove the need for you to deal with the long lines.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport FAQs

How do I get from Fort Lauderdale Airport to Miami?

Fort Lauderdale Airport is in the Miami Metropolitan Area, but Downtown Miami itself is about 30 miles (48.3 kilometers) from the airport; the simplest route by road is to take the I-95 S.

Other options include taking a combination of public transport services to get to various locations in Miami. Tri-Rail runs a service from the airport train station into the Miami area with stops at Hialeah, Miami Airport and the Downtown area; the journey takes around 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, Broward County Transit also offers a bus service that picks up at the airport rental car center and runs to Aventura Mall, where you can transfer to another bus to get into central Miami; this route can take over two hours, though.

What is the Fort Lauderdale Airport code?

The IATA airport code for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is FLL.

What options are there for Fort Lauderdale hotels?

There are no on-site hotels at Fort Lauderdale Airport, but options like Holiday Inn Express, Marriott Courtyard, Best Western and Hyatt House are all nearby and most of them offer a shuttle bus service to and from the airport.

If you're looking for something a little classier, the highest-rated hotels in Fort Lauderdale and the wider Broward County area include the Lago Mar Beach Resort, the Manhattan Tower Apartment Hotel or the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Does Fort Lauderdale Airport have free WiFi?

Yes, free WiFi is available for all passengers in the airport.

Does Fort Lauderdale Airport have a USO?

No, currently there is no USO lounge at FLL, but Delta and United both have airline lounges with day memberships available.

Does Fort Lauderdale Airport have currency exchange?

Yes, you can find currency exchange concessions in Terminal 2 and Terminal 4.

Does Fort Lauderdale Airport have a cell phone lot?

Yes, it's just a few seconds from the terminal arrivals pick-up areas; you can't leave your car unattended, but you can wait for your pick-up for free and there are flight arrivals displays so you can look out for their ETA.

Does Fort Lauderdale Airport allow Uber?

Uber and Lyft both have agreements with FLL Airport to occupy designated pick-up areas outside the arrivals levels in-between each terminal building. These services can also drop you off at the airport outside departures in the main passenger drop-off designated areas.