Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or West Palm Beach: Choosing a South Florida Airport

The short version

Miami (MIA), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), and West Palm Beach (PBI) sit on one 80-mile stretch of coast, and on most domestic routes Fort Lauderdale is the cheapest of the three. Miami is an American Airlines hub with the Latin America and Europe flights; Fort Lauderdale is where JetBlue, Spirit, Southwest, and Delta compete; West Palm Beach is the quiet option for the northern Palm Beaches.

Cruise ports

PortMiami is 15 minutes from MIA and about 40 from FLL. Port Everglades is 10 minutes from FLL. Flying into the airport nearest your port matters most on embarkation morning; on the return, either works. Many cruise lines run transfers from both.

Fares

Fort Lauderdale usually posts the lowest recorded fares from the Northeast and Midwest, with Miami close behind in the low season and pricier in winter. West Palm Beach has fewer flights and less competition, so it is cheapest only when a low-cost carrier serves your origin nonstop. The route pages for each city show the recorded lows side by side.

Drive times

Typical times outside rush hour.

• MIA to South Beach: 20 minutes. To Fort Lauderdale: 35 minutes.
• FLL to Fort Lauderdale beach: 15 minutes. To Miami downtown: 35 to 45 minutes. To Boca Raton: 30 minutes.
• PBI to Palm Beach: 15 minutes. To Jupiter: 25 minutes. To Fort Lauderdale: 50 minutes.

Booking

Give the agent at (708) 866-8751 your hotel or port and the dates, and ask for all three airports. Winter fares in particular can differ by $80 or more for the same day.