Holiday in Paris? French Bee lifts off from Miami starting Dec. 15
International holiday flying from South Florida is looking better — and cheaper — this year as airlines are teeing up new nonstop trips to Europe, Canada and South America.
Next up for Europe: On Dec. 15, the low-cost carrier French Bee will begin three weekly Miami-to-Paris flights from Miami International Airport to Orly Airport outside the French capital.
Founded in 2016, French Bee will be the only airline providing nonstop service from Miami to Orly, according to a statement issued Friday by Miami International. The carrier also serves New York and San Francisco, and flies from Paris to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, as well as to the French-controlled Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa.
French Bee, which operates Airbus 350-900 jetliners, is advertising a one-way promotional fare of $217 from Miami to Paris. But its website shows the lowest priced ticket for next Thursday’s inaugural flight is now $453.
Earlier this week, discounter Norse Atlantic Airways of Norway started flights from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Berlin. The carrier’s service is also three times a week. Fares started as low as $155.
The airline’s first flight departed Fort Lauderdale for Berlin’s Brandenberg Airport late Wednesday night.
Travelers interested in western Canada will have an opportunity to fly directly to Vancouver from Miami starting Dec. 17 when Air Canada starts flying three times weekly. The airline provides connections via Vancouver to Australia and New Zealand.
On Thursday, Avianca, the Colombian carrier, began thrice-weekly service to Bucaramanga in the northeastern region of Colombia, roughly 70 miles from the border with Venezuela, according to the Miami airport.
The airline also intends to launch twice-a-week service Saturday to Santa Marta, which is on the northern Colombian coast along the Caribbean Sea,
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Colombia was the Miami airport’s busiest international market, with 1.5 million passengers in 2019.
On Nov. 30, discounter Spirit Airlines of Miramar resumed daily nonstop service to Managua, Nicaragua, from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The fares started at $292 roundtrip, according to an airline statement, which added that passengers from Nicaragua have connecting options to 26 cities across the U.S.
American Airlines resumed flying to Managua from Miami in August after a two-year hiatus.
Nearly a dozen discounters
Miami International says it is now a landing spot for 11 low-cost carriers — seven international and four domestic.
The foreign discounters include French Bee, Gol (Brazil), Sky (Peru), Sunwing (Canada), VivaAir (Colombia), Volaris (Mexico), and WestJet (Canada).
The domestic discounters are Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest and Spirit.
Staff writer David Lyons can be reached at dvlyons@SunSentinel.com
