Why Norse Airlines is moving its London direct flights from Fort Lauderdale to Miami

Mike Diamond, Palm Beach Post
·3 min read

The days are numbered for those reasonably priced, non-stop Fort Lauderdale-to-London flights.

Norse Atlantic Airways, a discount carrier often referred to as the Spirit of Europe, has announced it will be moving its operations to Miami International Airport (MIA) just days after it began flying out of Fort Lauderdale (FLL). The Miami switch is scheduled to begin Sept. 18.

Fort Lauderdale airport officials are not happy.

The Broward County Aviation Department (BCAD), the operator of FLL, said in a press release it is “very disappointed to learn of Norse Atlantic Airways’ decision to discontinue its FLL flight operations and relocate service to Miami. While BCAD had high hopes that this budding relationship with Norse would grow and blossom into a mutually beneficial, established, and long-term collaboration, we wish them well in their future endeavors.”

Norse Airways has announced it will shift its flights beginning in September from Fort Lauderdale to Miami. It offers discount non-stop flights to London and Oslo, Norway.
Norse Airways has announced it will shift its flights beginning in September from Fort Lauderdale to Miami. It offers discount non-stop flights to London and Oslo, Norway.

The London flights from Fort Lauderdale had offered Palm Beach County residents an alternative to making the long drive to Miami, from where several non-stop flights to London are scheduled daily.

The discount carrier began flying to Norway a year ago from Fort Lauderdale and announced, to much fanfare, the addition of a non-stop flight to London. The first plane took off May 26. Five days later, Norse reported that all of its operations would be moved to Miami in September. So, too, will non-stop service to Oslo, Norway.

So what happened? Norse liked what it saw in Miami.

Previously: Fort Lauderdale to London non-stop service on Norse Atlantic to begin in May

CEO Bjorn Tore Larsen said in a press release that Miami has “high levels of passenger demand with both direct and connecting traffic volumes greater than other airports in the region.” He added that Miami will also offer its cargo customers more choice and flexibility.

Fort Lauderdale’s loss is Miami’s gain.

Said Ralph Cutié, the CEO for Miami International Airport: “We are thrilled that Norse Atlantic has chosen MIA for all of its South Florida flights.”

More: Palm Beach International Airport shuts down short-term, premium parking lots for months

Norse will be entitled to a one-year waiver of landing fees and other incentives that are given to all new entrant airlines that commit to at least one continuous year of service. A spokesman for MIA said an airline can typically save $100,000 or more on the incentive package depending on the route, frequency and other variables but noted that most airlines choose to fly at MIA because of its extensive route connections to Latin America and beyond, and not because of the incentive package.

Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach have similar incentive programs, and one of its airlines, Avelo, recently received those incentives for beginning service to Wilmington, Delaware and Raleigh, North Carolina.

PBIA update: Concourse B to get million-dollar makeover; nonstop flights to Wilmington, NC, to start

Meanwhile, Fort Lauderdale says it will remain focused on attracting European air service to serve the needs of South Florida travelers. El AL non-stop service is expected to begin in September. The airport has been steadily increasing its international footprint. In April, international traffic increased by 21% to 641,919 from April of 2022. The figure, though, is still about 20% lower than pre-Covid traffic of April 2019.

Through the middle of September, Norse will continue to offer several flights a week from Fort Lauderdale to London’s Gatwick (LGW) airport. Gatwick is about 30 miles south of London. See the airlines’ web site flynorse.com for more information.

Non-stop London service is also offered at Orlando International Airport (MCO) and New York as well. Norse Atlantic was founded in 2021 and offers more affordable fares — sometimes as low as $250 round trip — for flights to Europe. One of its partners is Spirit Airlines.

Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Norse Airlines to soon move operations from Fort Lauderdale to Miami