Fort Lauderdale's future shows promise after strong international passenger growth in 2014

Fort Lauderdale International airport capped off a successful 2014 by growing total passenger numbers 4.6% including a 26% jump in international passengers. Five international airlines launched new service to Fort Lauderdale in 2014, reflecting its attractiveness as a reasonably priced airport catering to the South Florida market.

The airport sits in a unique position of being a focus city for a large US hybrid airline, JetBlue, and the headquarters and top base for the country's largest ULCC Spirit Airlines. Fort Lauderdale also has representation from ULCCs Allegiant and Frontier and counts Southwest Airlines as its second largest airline measured by ASKs deployed.

With overall US domestic demand holding steady, Fort Lauderdale's prospects for 2015 remain strong, underpinned by a new runway that opened in late 2014 that should both allow for less congestion and future growth. But the airport also faces some challenges with its growth, namely bottlenecks in customs processing.