A new airline is now flying Americans straight to Belize. BermudAir, best known as a Bermuda specialist, touched down at Philip Goldson International Airport for the first time on Monday 26 October, opening a nonstop link from Fort Lauderdale that will run three times a week. Four more US routes follow in December, giving travellers a wider choice of gateways than ever before.
The Fort Lauderdale service operates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and the inaugural flight arrived around 11:30AM to the full airport treatment: a water cannon salute, treats for passengers and crew, and a welcome from the Belize Tourism Board and the Ministry of Tourism. Officials were quick to frame the launch as more than a ceremony. Tourism director Evan Tillett called air connectivity the lifeblood of the country's tourism industry, while ministry CEO Nicole Usher pointed to the expected lift in arrivals heading into the busy winter season.
From 20 December, the expansion really kicks in. Boston flights will run Wednesdays and Saturdays, Tampa Bay picks up Thursdays and Sundays, Raleigh-Durham flies Mondays and Fridays, and Orlando covers Sundays and Mondays. For travellers, that means competitive fares and one-stop-free access from five US cities rather than relying on the usual Florida hubs.
The timing matters locally too. Operators on San Pedro, Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker have described the past season as one of the toughest in memory, with some restaurants closing and tour businesses struggling to stay open. The islands depend on visitors flying into Belize City and hopping on a short domestic flight or water taxi, so every extra seat from the US filters straight through to the cays. Tourism businesses there are openly hoping the new routes fill planes during high season.
For holidaymakers, the appeal of Belize is unchanged: the second-largest barrier reef in the world, easy combine-ability of diving, jungle ruins and cave tubing, English as the official language, and a compact size that lets you see a lot in a week. New low-cost-style competition on transatlantic-style routes rarely lasts forever, so if a December or January escape is on your radar, these freshly launched schedules are worth checking now.
