It was inauguration day at Fort Lauderdale Airport Sunday as Southwest Airlines launched it’s first non-stop international flight to the Bahamas from Fort Lauderdale.
The bon voyage party was held in Terminal 1 where Southwest is in the midst of a $300-million expansion. It’s part of a plan by Southwest to make the airport one of it’s international hubs. The construction of the new international terminal’s five new gates will include a U.S. Customs & Border Protection processing facility and is expected to be completed in 2017.
According to Southwest, Sunday’s flight to Nassau ushers in an international future for Southwest, which will offer more than 70 flights a day to nearly 30 destinations nonstop, including plans for a new service to Cuba intended to operate later this year.
Once completed, according to the Sun-Sentinel, Southwest plans to add 25 international flights a day.
Sunday’s kickoff flight was completely sold out, so it was time to have a Caribbean style party.
The Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Crews performed a water cannon sendoff as the plane taxied from the terminal.
Here, see for yourself (Video courtesy Southwest Airlines).
