Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport

World War I aviator Merle Fogg purchased an abandoned nine-hole golf course that was destroyed in the 1926 Miami hurricane for $1,200 in 1928. On May 1, 1929, the airport officially opened as Merle Fogg Field, with two criss-cross unpaved runways. At the start of World War II, it was commissioned by the United States Navy and renamed Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale. The runways were paved, and a control tower was built. The base was initially used for refitting civil airliners for military service before they were ferried across the Atlantic to Europe and North Africa. NAS Fort Lauderdale later became a main training base for Naval Aviators and enlisted naval air crewmen flying the Grumman TBF and TBM Avenger for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps aboard aircraft carriers and from expeditionary airfields ashore. NAS Fort Lauderdale was the home base for Flight 19, the five TBM Avengers that disappeared in December 1945, leading in part to the notoriety of the Bermuda Triangle.

NAS Fort Lauderdale closed on October 1, 1946, and was transferred to county control, becoming Broward County International Airport.[6]

Commercial flights to Nassau began on June 2, 1953, and domestic flights began in 1958–1959: Northeast Airlines and National Airlines DC-6Bs flew nonstop to Idlewild, and Northeast flew nonstop to Washington National. In 1959, the airport opened its first permanent terminal building and assumed its current name.

In 1966, the airport averaged 48 airline operations a day; in 1972, it averaged 173 a day.

The Feb 1966 Official Airline Guide shows three nonstop departures to New York–Kennedy and no other nonstop flights beyond Tampa and Orlando. Five years later, FLL had added nonstop flights to Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Minneapolis, New York–La Guardia, Newark, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. (Northeast's nonstop to Los Angeles had already been dropped.)

By 1974, the airport was served by Braniff International Airways, Delta Air Lines, Eastern Air Lines, National Airlines, Northwest Orient Airlines, Shawnee Airlines and United Airlines. Delta and Eastern were the dominant carriers, with 12 and 14 routes from FLL respectively.[7] By 1979, following deregulation, Air Florida, Bahamasair, Florida Airlines, Mackey International Airlines, Republic Airlines, Trans World Airlines and Western Airlines also served the airport.[8]

Low-cost airline traffic grew in the 1990s, with Southwest opening its base in 1996, Spirit in 1999, and JetBlue in 2000. Spirit Airlines made FLL a hub in 2002. In 2003, JetBlue made FLL a focus city. US Airways also planned a hub at Fort Lauderdale in the mid-2000s as part of its reorganization strategy before its merger with America West.[9] Eventually, low-cost competition forced several major legacy airlines to cut back service to FLL, with United pulling out of the airport entirely in 2008[10] and American Airlines moving its New York and Los Angeles services to West Palm Beach in 2013.[11]

In January 2000, South African Airways (SAA) introduced service from Cape Town to Atlanta via Fort Lauderdale on a Boeing 747. The flight from Atlanta to Cape Town operated nonstop.[12] Fort Lauderdale served both as a refueling stop and as a place to pick up passengers. SAA had just started code-sharing with Delta Air Lines, which offered several flights from the airport.[13] Changes to security regulations following the September 11 attacks forced SAA to eliminate the stop.[14]

During the 2005 hurricane season, FLL was affected by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Wilma. Katrina struck land in late August as a Category 1 and made landfall on Keating Beach just two miles from the airport (near the border of Broward and Miami–Dade counties) with 80 mph (130 km/h) winds but caused only minor damage; however, the airport was closed for about a 48-hour period. However, when Hurricane Wilma made landfall in October roof damage was reported along with broken windows, damaged jetways, and destroyed canopies. The airport was closed for a period of five days. Hurricane Wilma was a Category 2 when its center passed to the west of FLL. In February 2007, the airport started fees to all users, including private aircraft. FLL is one of the few airports to administer fees to private pilots. A minimum charge of $10 is assessed on landing private aircraft.

In May 2008, Zoom Airlines launched a seasonal link to London's Gatwick Airport via Bermuda. It flew a Boeing 767 on the route.[15][16][17] The airline shut down three months later.[18][19] In May 2010, Condor began a seasonal flight to Frankfurt on a 767.[20][21][22] The carrier started flying year-round to Fort Lauderdale in 2011 but reverted to seasonal service the following year.[22][23] Norwegian Air Shuttle introduced routes to Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo in November and December 2013. The flights were operated by Boeing 787s.[24][25] The company expanded its operations in Fort Lauderdale over the next few years. It established cabin-crew and pilot bases at the airport. In 2017, Norwegian flew to London-Gatwick, Paris, Barcelona, and the three Scandinavian cities. The airline also offered seasonal service to two Caribbean destinations.[26] Its European network later shrank to Paris, Barcelona, and Oslo.[27][28]

An Emirates jet at the airport in 2018

Emirates launched a flight to Dubai using a Boeing 777-200LR in December 2016. While major airlines tended to prefer flying into Miami, Emirates chose Fort Lauderdale as its gateway to South Florida because of its codeshare agreement with JetBlue and the airport's central location in the region.[29][30][31] On January 6, 2017, a lone gunman opened fire inside Terminal 2 with a semi-automatic handgun, killing five people. The shooter was arrested by a BSO deputy within 85 seconds of when he began shooting.[32] He was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences plus 120 years in prison.[33][34][35] In 2018, NORAD announced that it would be stationing fighter jets at the airport during President Donald Trump's trips to Mar-a-Lago.[36] As of 2018, the airport had been going through an extensive renovation and expansion project worth approximately $3 billion that has added gates, new parking, stores, and shops. The master plan calls for the construction of an Intermodal center, a people mover, a hotel, an increase in the number of gates from 62 to 95, and widening of the terminal access road.[37]

Emirates and Norwegian Air Shuttle suspended their services to Fort Lauderdale in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[38][39] The following year, Emirates began flying to Miami instead, which had more cargo traffic and connecting flights to other countries.[40] In addition, Norwegian discontinued all of its long-haul flights, leaving the airport without transatlantic service.[41] Norse Atlantic Airways launched a direct flight to Oslo using Boeing 787s in June 2022.[42][43] It subsequently set up a base for flight attendants and added a route to London-Gatwick.[44] In April 2023, historic flooding in the area caused severe disruptions at the airport, culminating in a complete closure as rainwater flooded parts of the tarmac and airport property.[45] El Al commenced a route to Tel Aviv using a 787 in September 2023. It is first offering some flights for the Jewish holidays and will transition to year-round service in April 2024.[46] Later that month, Norse Atlantic will relocate to Miami in pursuit of more passengers and cargo.[44]

Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport has four terminals with 66 gates. Terminal 1, commonly referred to as "The New Terminal," opened in stages between 2001 and 2003 and was designed by Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum[53] and Cartaya Associates.[54] The other three terminals were constructed in 1986 and designed by Reynolds, Smith & Hills as part of a $263 million construction project.[55] Terminal 4, commonly referred to as the International Terminal, was inaugurated by a Concorde visit in 1983. Since 2005, T4 has been undergoing renovations and a major expansion designed by PGAL/Zyscovich joint venture. The airport announced that Terminal 1, commonly known as "The New Terminal", underwent a $300 million makeover. Construction began in late 2015 and was completed in June 2017.[56]

Terminal 1, known as the Yellow Terminal, contains Concourses A, B & C and 23 gates. Concourse A mainly serves international travelers. United Airlines operates a United Club in Concourse C, which originally opened with the new Terminal in May 2001 as a Continental Airlines Presidents Club before United merged with Continental Airlines. This terminal is also the most frequently used of the four by Southwest Airlines; nearly all Southwest flights operate out of Concourse B.

Terminal 2, known as the Red Terminal, contains Concourse D and 9 gates. Air Canada and Delta Air Lines operate at Terminal 2. Delta Air Lines operates a Sky Club here. This terminal is currently undergoing a $100 million modernization, including the expansion of the check-in area, renovations to security screening facilities, new ceilings, flooring, and the inclusion of more concessions, along with the modernization of the Sky Club.[57]

Terminal 3, known as the Purple Terminal, contains Concourses E & F with 20 gates, functioning as the JetBlue operating base.[58] It is also connected to Terminal 4 via a newly built walkway.

Terminal 4, known as the Green Terminal, contains Concourse G with 14 gates, and functions as the Spirit operating base. Concourse H, which closed in December 2017 and has since been demolished, included 10 gates. The former Concourse H was reconfigured and redesigned by the architectural firms of PGAL/Zyscovich joint venture. The new three-story facility, which was renamed Concourse G, has 14 new gates, 11 of which are international/domestic capable, and one arrival area for bussing operations. New concessions, seatings, and approximately 50,000 sq. ft. of administrative offices for the Aviation Department are being designed on the upper levels of the facility. An expanded U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility will also be included in the new Eastern Expansion construction.

A view of the Terminal Drive loop leading into the airport

Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport is near the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport at Dania Beach train station, served by Amtrak intercity trains and Tri-Rail commuter trains. The latter provides a shuttle bus service from the station to three locations at the airport, all on the lower level: the west end of terminal 1, between terminals 2 and 3, and between terminals 3 and 4. The shuttles operate seven days a week and are free for Tri-Rail customers.

The terminals are accessible by U.S. Route 1. Other major roads that border the airport include Florida State Road 818, Interstate 95, and Interstate 595. U.S. Route 1 includes an underpass under Runway 10R/28L.

Ride-sharing companies can also be used to and from the airport in designated pickup and drop-off places found between Terminals 1 and 2 and Terminals 3 and 4.

The airport also offers airport parking and operates a consolidated rental car facility which can be accessed from Terminal 1 by a short walk and from the other terminals by a free shuttle bus service.

FLL is served by Broward County Transit bus Route 1 which offers connecting service through the Broward Central Terminal in downtown Fort Lauderdale, and also serves to Aventura Mall in Aventura, Florida, in Miami-Dade County.

Internationally known artist and sculptor Duane Hanson created an installation for his work Vendor with Walkman at the Departure Level of Terminal 3 at the airport. Hanson, who retired and died in nearby Boca Raton, created a seated middle-aged man wearing a red T-shirt, blue pants, and baseball cap, and listening to a walkman during a break. The installation accessories give additional clues to the narrative of the artwork: toy airplane, various signs, and announcements for the shop, janitorial supplies.[59] The artwork has since been moved to Terminal 1 Arrival Level.