FLL Airport Guide: Fort Lauderdale Terminals and Transfers

FLL airport, officially Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, is the compact, sun-bleached alternative to Miami International. It sits about three miles south of downtown Fort Lauderdale, a few minutes from the Port Everglades cruise terminals, and runs four numbered terminals. Know your terminal, your ship’s pier and your road time, and FLL is one of Florida’s easiest airports.

This guide covers the layout, which airlines use each terminal (with FLL Terminal 3 in detail), how to reach Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Palm Beach, the cruise connection to Port Everglades, lounges and practical tips. One note first: SilverDrive is a chauffeur company based in Amsterdam and does not operate in the United States. Our part of a Florida trip is the European end, which we cover near the close.

FLL Airport at a Glance

FLL is owned and run by Broward County. It is a big domestic airport with a strong Caribbean and Latin American network, a large leisure market and a cruise port on its doorstep. Low-cost and leisure airlines have always shaped it, which is why the shutdown of Spirit Airlines, long FLL’s largest carrier, on 2 May 2026 changed the airport noticeably. JetBlue has since expanded at Fort Lauderdale, and other airlines have added routes to fill the gaps.

Fact	Detail
Airport code	FLL
Location	Between Fort Lauderdale and Dania Beach, Broward County, Florida
Distance to downtown Fort Lauderdale	About 3 miles (5 km)
Distance to Miami International	About 30 miles by road
Terminals	Four, numbered 1 to 4
Nearest cruise port	Port Everglades, typically 10 to 20 minutes by road

FLL Airport Terminals and Layout

FLL’s four terminals sit in a horseshoe around a central car park and road loop, numbered 1 to 4 and colour coded on signs. Each terminal has its own kerb, check-in and security, so the terminal number is what you and anyone collecting you need to know.

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 is the largest, with several concourses. Southwest Airlines is the best-known tenant, alongside a mix of US and Latin American carriers. Until May 2026, Spirit Airlines also operated from here, so older bookings and maps that put Spirit in Terminal 1 are out of date.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 is the smallest, a single concourse used mainly by Delta Air Lines and Air Canada. Delta’s connections to its big hubs, including Atlanta and New York JFK, run from here, which makes Terminal 2 relevant for anyone connecting to a transatlantic Delta or KLM flight.

FLL Terminal 3

FLL Terminal 3 is JetBlue’s home at Fort Lauderdale. JetBlue is now one of the airport’s largest airlines and has grown its schedule here since Spirit stopped flying. American Airlines has also operated from Terminal 3, together with a group of smaller domestic and international carriers.

The useful detail about Terminal 3 is its airside connection to Terminal 4. Passengers already through security can walk between the two without screening again, which matters because JetBlue’s international departures often use the gates in Terminal 4. Check your gate on the day, not just your terminal.

Terminal 4

Terminal 4 is FLL’s international hub, with US Customs and Border Protection facilities for arriving international passengers. It handles a range of international airlines and many flights to the Caribbean, Canada and Latin America. If you land at FLL from abroad, expect to clear immigration and customs before you reach the arrivals kerb.

Moving Between Terminals

Terminals 3 and 4 are connected airside. Elsewhere, free shuttle buses run between the terminals on the lower level, and the terminals are linked landside on foot, so a walk between neighbouring buildings is practical before security. Leave extra time for any terminal change, because you will usually need to clear security again.

Allocations at FLL have moved more than usual in 2026. Treat the terminal descriptions above as the current picture, and confirm your terminal on your booking and on the airport’s own “where is my airline” listing shortly before you fly.

Getting From FLL Airport to the City

For most destinations from FLL, the road is the main option. Rail exists, but it is better for longer runs up and down the coast than for reaching a hotel.

Option	Typical time	Best for
Taxi from the rank	10 to 20 min to downtown Fort Lauderdale	Short hops, no booking
Uber or Lyft	Same as taxi, plus waiting time	App users, light luggage
Pre-booked car service	Same as taxi	Families, groups, cruise luggage, late arrivals
Tri-Rail (via free shuttle)	Varies by destination	Commuter rail north to Palm Beach County or south to Miami
Brightline (via airport connector shuttle)	Varies by destination	Fast intercity rail to Miami, West Palm Beach and Orlando
Broward County Transit buses	Longer	Lowest cost, light luggage

Taxi

Licensed taxis wait at marked ranks on the lower level of each terminal. Downtown Fort Lauderdale and the beaches of Fort Lauderdale are typically 10 to 20 minutes away, which makes a taxi fair value for short journeys. For longer journeys, such as Miami Beach or Palm Beach, ask for an estimate before you leave the rank.

Ride-Hail: Uber and Lyft

App pickups use designated zones on the lower, arrivals level. The app tells you where to stand. Prices move with demand, and at busy moments (after a cluster of arrivals, or when cruise passengers pour in on a Saturday) both price and waiting time can rise noticeably.

Train: Tri-Rail and Brightline

A free shuttle runs between the terminals and the Tri-Rail station at Dania Beach, serving the commuter line along the coast. Brightline, the faster intercity train, has a station in downtown Fort Lauderdale, and an airport connector shuttle runs from the FLL arrivals level to it for passengers holding a same-day Brightline ticket. Both are good for longer journeys along the coast with modest luggage; neither takes you to a hotel door.

Private Car Service

A pre-booked car with a driver meets you at arrivals or a designated pickup area, takes the luggage and drives you to the door. Honest drive times from FLL in normal traffic:

Destination	Typical drive
Downtown Fort Lauderdale or Las Olas	10 to 20 minutes
Port Everglades cruise terminals	10 to 20 minutes, longer on busy ship days
Miami International Airport	35 to 60 minutes
Miami Beach	40 to 60 minutes, more at peak hours
Boca Raton	30 to 45 minutes
West Palm Beach	50 to 75 minutes

I-95 congests heavily in the morning and evening peaks, so treat the upper end of each range as the planning figure on weekdays. Choose an operator that tracks your flight and includes waiting time after landing, particularly if you are arriving internationally and need to clear customs first.

FLL and Port Everglades: The Cruise Connection

Port Everglades is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world, and FLL is its natural airport. The cruise terminals are only a few kilometres from the runway, so on a quiet day the transfer is a short drive. On a busy turnaround day it is a different story: several ships disembark and embark thousands of passengers within a few hours, the port roads queue, and the airport kerbs fill with suitcases.

A few principles make cruise days at FLL far calmer:

• Know your cruise terminal number. Port Everglades has many terminals spread around the harbour. Your cruise documents state yours, and your driver needs it.
• Do not fly in on embarkation morning. Arriving the day before removes the risk that a delayed flight costs you the ship. Fort Lauderdale has plenty of hotels between the airport and the beach.
• Leave a generous buffer on disembarkation day. Ships dock early, but passengers leave in groups over several hours. Choose a flight late enough to absorb a slow customs process and a queue on the port roads.
• Plan the luggage. Cruise luggage is bulkier than business luggage. A standard taxi or a small ride-hail car may not fit a family of four with two weeks of cases; book a larger vehicle in advance.
• Compare with the cruise line’s transfer. Cruise lines sell their own coach transfers. They work, but they leave on the line’s schedule, not yours.

Cruise logistics are familiar ground for us in Europe. SilverDrive runs cruise port transfers between Schiphol, Amsterdam hotels and the cruise terminals at Amsterdam, IJmuiden and Rotterdam, with pickup times set by the vessel, not by a timetable. If your Florida cruise is followed by a European one, our guide to cruise port transfers in the Netherlands covers the Dutch side in detail.

Lounges at FLL Airport

FLL has fewer lounges than a major hub, so check what is in your terminal before you count on one.

• Terminal 1: a United Club for eligible United and Star Alliance passengers.
• Terminal 2: a Delta Sky Club for eligible Delta and SkyTeam passengers.
• Terminal 3: an independent pay-per-use lounge, also open to eligible lounge programme members.
• Terminal 4: fewer options; some lounge programmes partner with restaurants instead of a dedicated lounge.

JetBlue has announced its BlueHouse lounge concept for Fort Lauderdale. If you fly JetBlue in a premium cabin, check whether it is open and whether your ticket qualifies before you travel.

Practical Tips for FLL Airport

• Check the terminal again after May 2026. Spirit’s shutdown and the airline moves that followed mean older confirmations and maps can be wrong.
• Allow for security queues at weekends. Cruise turnaround days and holiday weekends bring sharp peaks at the security checkpoints.
• Expect weather delays in summer. South Florida’s afternoon thunderstorms can halt ground operations for a while. Morning flights are less exposed.
• Use the airside link between Terminals 3 and 4. If your JetBlue flight leaves from Terminal 4, you can walk through without clearing security twice.
• Avoid unofficial drivers. Take a taxi from the official rank, a ride-hail car from the marked zone or a car you booked in advance.
• Consider Miami for long-haul flights. Miami International has far more nonstop service to Europe than FLL. Fort Lauderdale is often the better airport for domestic, Caribbean and Canadian flights.

Travelling Between FLL and Amsterdam Schiphol

There are no nonstop flights between Amsterdam Schiphol and FLL airport at the time of writing. Transatlantic service at Fort Lauderdale is limited and has changed often over the years, so check current schedules rather than older reports.

The realistic options are:

• KLM nonstop to Miami. KLM flies Amsterdam to Miami International several times a week, with the frequency set by season. From Miami, Fort Lauderdale is 35 to 60 minutes north by road.
• One-stop connections via US hubs. Delta and its partner KLM sell connections through hubs such as Atlanta, New York JFK and Boston, with the final leg into FLL Terminal 2.
• Other European hubs. Airlines connecting via London, Frankfurt, Paris and other gateways also reach South Florida, usually into Miami.

For a cruise passenger flying from the Netherlands, Miami arrival with a road transfer north to Port Everglades is often the simplest plan, especially with a night in Fort Lauderdale before sailing.

SilverDrive’s Role: The Amsterdam End

We do not drive in Florida. What we do is the European half of the same trip. Before you leave, a SilverDrive chauffeur collects you anywhere in the Netherlands and drives you to Schiphol, with the flight tracked and the timing planned from the check-in deadline, at a fixed price agreed when you book. Our airport transfer service runs 24 hours a day, and for families with cruise luggage a Mercedes-Benz V-Class takes seven passengers and their cases comfortably.

When you fly home, your chauffeur follows the actual landing time, 60 minutes of waiting after touchdown is included, and you are met in the arrivals hall. Our Schiphol chauffeur pickup guide explains how that works, and the Schiphol terminal guide covers the departure halls and piers.

Planning Your FLL Airport Journey

FLL airport is at its best when you know three things before you land: your terminal, the road time to where you are going and, on cruise days, your ship’s terminal at Port Everglades. Settle those and the airport is quick and easy. For the Amsterdam end of the journey, book your Schiphol transfer and the European legs are taken care of.

Frequently asked questions

How many terminals does FLL airport have?

Four, numbered 1 to 4 and also colour coded on airport signs. Terminal 1 is the largest, Terminal 2 is the smallest, Terminal 3 is the JetBlue terminal and Terminal 4 handles much of the international traffic. Terminals 3 and 4 are linked airside, and free shuttles plus landside walkways connect the rest.

Which airlines use FLL Terminal 3?

Terminal 3 is best known as JetBlue's home at Fort Lauderdale, and American Airlines and several smaller carriers have also operated from it. JetBlue's international flights often use Terminal 4, which connects to Terminal 3 airside. Allocations shifted after Spirit Airlines stopped flying in May 2026, so confirm your terminal on your booking.

How far is Port Everglades from Fort Lauderdale airport?

Only a few kilometres. The drive from FLL to the Port Everglades cruise terminals normally takes 10 to 20 minutes, but on busy embarkation days, when several ships turn around at once, traffic into the port can add a good deal more. Check your cruise terminal number on your documents before you travel.

Are there direct flights from Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale?

Not at the time of writing. No airline flies nonstop between Amsterdam Schiphol and FLL. KLM flies nonstop from Amsterdam to Miami, about 30 miles to the south, and one-stop connections via US hubs are the other common way to reach Fort Lauderdale. Check current schedules, because transatlantic routes change by season.

Is FLL a good alternative to Miami International Airport?

Often, yes. FLL is smaller, quicker to walk through and much closer to Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades and the beaches of Broward County. Miami International has far more long-haul service to Europe. Which is better depends on your flights and where you are going, not on the airport alone.

How do I get from FLL airport to Miami Beach?

By road, Miami Beach is about 40 kilometres south, typically 40 minutes to an hour and more in heavy traffic on I-95. There is no simple rail option to the beach itself. A taxi, a ride-hail car or a pre-booked car service is the practical choice, especially with luggage.

Where do Uber and Lyft pick up at FLL?

Ride-hail pickups are in designated zones on the lower, arrivals level of each terminal. Follow the airport's ground transportation signs and the directions in your app, which shows the exact spot. Pickup arrangements at US airports are revised from time to time, so trust the current signage over older advice.