🛫 Terminal 1 (United, JetBlue Overflow, Frontier)

Airlines: United, Frontier, Allegiant, Avelo, Sun Country, plus JetBlue overflow gates absorbed from Spirit’s post-shutdown vacancy. Pre-May 2026 this was Spirit’s home.

Concourses: Concourses A, B, C — the largest terminal by gate count. United Club post-security in Concourse C.

🌊 Terminal 2 (Delta + SkyTeam)

Airlines: Delta, AeroMéxico, WestJet (codeshare). The smallest terminal by gate count. Delta SkyMiles members and oneworld partners route here.

Concourses: Concourse D primarily. Delta Sky Club is the only premium lounge in T2.

🛩️ Terminal 3 (JetBlue, Southwest, Air Canada)

Airlines: JetBlue (now FLL’s dominant carrier with ~130 daily departures), Southwest, Air Canada, Caribbean Airlines, Bahamas Air.

Concourses: Concourses E, F. The Escape Lounge — the only Priority Pass option at FLL — sits in Concourse F.

🌍 Terminal 4 (American + International)

Airlines: American Airlines (oneworld hub-lite), Lufthansa, Condor, Air France-KLM, Norse Atlantic, Norwegian-codesharing carriers, plus most Latin American carriers (LATAM, Avianca, Copa).

Concourses: Concourses G, H. International arrivals process here. The Federal Inspection Services (FIS) hall is in T4, including Global Entry kiosks.

Real ID — Required Since May 2025

All domestic travellers age 18+ need a Real ID-compliant license, US passport, or another approved federal ID. Standard Florida licenses without the gold star do not work. Children under 18 are exempt. Bring a passport as the universal fallback.

ESTA — $21 for VWP Foreign Visitors

UK, EU, Australia, Japan, Korea and other VWP nationals need an ESTA at $21, valid 2 years. Apply at the official esta.cbp.dhs.gov portal — beware look-alike sites charging $80+. Approval is usually within 72 hours; allow longer for buffer.

TSA: CT Lanes & PreCheck

CT scanners on most regular and PreCheck lanes — laptops and liquids stay in. Wait time is highly variable: 8–30 min regular, 3–8 min PreCheck. Saturdays during cruise turnaround (10:00–13:00) are the worst at all four terminals.

⭐ Brightline — High-Speed Rail to Miami & Orlando

High-speed passenger rail connects MIA → FLL → West Palm Beach → MCO Orlando. Brightline FLL station is 3 km from the airport — board the $12 Brightline-FLL shuttle from any terminal kerb (every 30 min, 10 min ride). Trains run hourly, plus extras at peak. FLL → Brightline FLL station → MIA station = 30 minutes; airport-to-airport (FLL to MIA) door-to-door takes about 75 minutes vs 90+ minutes by car at peak.

📱 Lyft, Uber & the South Beach Surge

Both apps have dedicated pickup at the “Ride App” sign outside arrivals at each terminal — follow the lit-up signage, not the kerbside. Surge pricing is constant at FLL because cruise turnaround mornings, hurricane evacuation days, and spring break overlap. Off-peak prices are competitive; peak prices double or triple.

🚢 Port Everglades Cruise Shuttle & Tri-Rail

Port Everglades is 4 km away. Most cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, Princess, Holland America, Celebrity, MSC) run free shuttles between FLL and the cruise terminals on embarkation/debarkation days — book direct with the cruise line, not via third parties. Tri-Rail commuter trains connect FLL (via free shuttle to FLL station) to Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and Miami — much cheaper than Brightline at ~$5 each way, but slower (75 min to Miami vs 30 min Brightline).

✨ Escape Lounge — The Centurion Studio Partner (T3 Concourse F, post-security)

South Florida runs on the Cubano — pressed sandwich of roast pork, ham, swiss, mustard, pickles. La Carreta at T1, T3 and T4 is the chain version (good); Cuban Pete’s at T3 is the better pick. ~$11–14. Pair with a café con leche ($4) or café cubano shot ($3). Skip the airport McDonald’s and the Subway. South Florida-only food window — eat what the region defends.

Florida specialties at the airport: Key lime pie at Joe’s Stone Crab Express in T3 (the airport spinoff of the Miami legend) — $9–12 a slice, the airport version is shockingly close to the South Beach original. Stone crab claws by the half-pound are available at the same outlet, with cold storage for take-home (October–May season only). NatuOro at T4 does the cleaner Latin grill option for international travellers wanting lighter food.

Florida does have sales tax — 6% state plus Broward County’s 1% surtax = 7% on most items. Unlike Oregon, this gets added at checkout. Safe carry-home picks: Florida orange-blossom honey at the Sundries kiosks, Cuban cigars sold legally as “Florida-rolled” (not actual Cuban — those are still embargoed), key lime preserves and conch fritter mix at the souvenir shops. Avoid airport-priced sunglasses and Florida-themed t-shirts; the South Beach drugstores are 40% cheaper.

Spirit Airlines ceased operations in May 2026; FLL was its largest base. JetBlue absorbed roughly 11 new destinations and ramped to 130+ daily departures from FLL — making it JetBlue’s third major base after BOS and JFK. If your trip was booked on Spirit, check refund / re-booking status with JetBlue (offering “status match” and “rescue fares”). Travel insurance and credit-card protections are the second line of recourse.

FLL is the cruise capital of the world. Saturday and Sunday mornings 09:00–13:00 see thousands of cruise debarkations transferring to the airport — TSA queues triple, kerbside is gridlocked, and the cruise-line shuttles fill every parking lane. If your Saturday morning departure isn’t on a cruise itinerary, you’re still affected — arrive 3 hours ahead at all four terminals during this window, not the standard 2.

FLL closes pre-emptively when a major hurricane is forecast within 24 hours. Reopening can take 2–5 days even if the airport itself escapes major damage. Carriers issue official travel waivers 36–72 hours pre-storm — wait for these before rebooking on your own dime. Cruise lines may detour or shorten itineraries; talk to the cruise line, not the airport, for itinerary changes during storms.

South Florida municipal water is safe to drink — meets EPA standards, fluoridated. The taste varies (some Broward County wells run slightly sulphurous). Free refill stations exist at most washroom blocks airside in all four terminals. Bottled water at the airport runs $4 for 500 ml — refill, don’t buy.

“flyFLL” free WiFi works without signup, unlimited duration. For longer stays, buy a US eSIM via Airalo, Holafly or Mint Mobile before landing. 5G coverage is universal across South Florida. T-Mobile usually has the best tourist promotions.

FLL itself is well-staffed and safe; the surrounding area splits between safe beach-resort zones (Las Olas, Hollywood Beach, Sunny Isles) and parts of inland Broward where solo travel late at night is less advisable. For a 22:00 arrival, prefer Lyft/Uber from the dedicated pickup zone over flagging a kerbside cab. Hotels in Las Olas / downtown / cruise port universally offer 24-hour reception.

Florida adds 7% sales tax to most purchases at the airport — receipts will show the listed price + tax. Restaurants typically auto-add a 18–20% gratuity for parties of 6+; for smaller groups tip 18–22% on the subtotal. Cruise-line tipping is separate from airport tipping — port porters expect $2–5 per bag.