A new budget airline called EasySky is poised to do battle with Spirit Airlines, the Miramar-based ultra-low-cost carrier -- at least on one of its routes.
Spirit currently operates a red-eye flight between Fort Lauderdale
and San Pedro Sula, Honduras' bustling industrial center, often with advertised
fares as low as $30 (before Spirit's assorted notorious fees are tacked on). But travelers trying to get from
South Florida to
Roatan -- the main tourist destination, with famous reefs and beaches -- still had to contend with 1 a.m.
arrival times and finding another flight (or bus/boat combination) to
reach the island. If flying on major carriers like Delta or Continental, passengers have to go through Atlanta or Houston, and the total round-trip can cost around $1,000.
According to Jesus Correa, CCO of EasySky Aerolinea de Bajo Costo, his
Honduras-based airline will begin a direct flight between Fort
Lauderdale and the tropical resort island of Roatan, Honduras, next
month.
In
September, EasySky started twice-daily jet service between Roatan and
the mainland city of La Ceiba for only 500 lempiras -- about $26 --
which not only beat the other local carriers but was even cheaper than
the 90-minute ferry ride.
EasySky's website doesn't
mention the Roatan connection, but according to Correa, it will depart
Roatan on Saturday, December 17, at 1 in the afternoon. It will leave
Fort Lauderdale about an hour later. The every-Saturday flight will cost
$550 round-trip, including taxes.
About 40
miles long and two miles wide, Roatan is the biggest of Honduras' Bay
Islands and is by far the most developed. Divers can find accommodations
ranging from hostels all the way up to air-conditioned suites at
massive beachfront resorts.
EasySky's
Boeing 737 will not only bring South Floridians closer to tropical
Roatan but it will give the island's significant ex-pat population
(estimated to be at least 3,000) a way to get from the isolated island to the
U.S. in a little more than an hour.
