Incentive To Lure Airlines Results In Congestion

In August 2000, Florida's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport decided to waive landing, gate and security fees to airlines which would open new non-stop service... a program that was, apparently, a little too successful.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports good news and bad news. The good news is, FLL has lost $3.7 million dollars in fees, but increased revenues almost $8 million because of the additional volume, and new routes to Latin America and the Caribbean.

The bad news...the international terminal is now crowded that County Commissioner John Rodstrom calls the program, "a disaster that needs to be dealt with."

"We're so overloaded in Terminal 4 that we shouldn't be allowing any more service to go in there," Rodstrom adds. "We're going to have to start saying no."

Airport Director Kent George says he wants incentives only for service to targeted destinations where more service is needed, such as western Europe and lower South America.

"Since FLL's international facilities are functioning beyond their intended capacity, this unrestricted approach cannot continue in its current form," George wrote in a recent memo to county officials.

International travel at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International exploded by 18 percent just since last year, according to traffic counts for January thru September.

But now that frequent travelers have discovered Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, will higher ticket prices really keep them away? Maybe not. Evadne Brooks, who lives in Jamaica but visits relatives in Broward County told the paper her relatives would rather not pick her up at Miami.

"It's very convenient to fly here, much closer than Miami for them to reach me," said Brooks.

FMI: www.fortlauderdaleinternationalairport.com/