A local shuttle company recently returned its door-to-door service from the Keys to airports in Fort Lauderdale and Miami following a temporary closure.
Keys Shuttle resumed operation on Nov. 15 in the lead-up to what’s usually one of the busier times for traveling by air for the holidays. But that’s changed with the ongoing pandemic and the Centers for Disease Control stating that traveling may increase exposure to COVID-19, and that the safest thing to do is stay home.
A lack of air passengers resulted in fewer people using the local transportation service Keys Shuttle, which led owner Raul Cisneros to close Aug. 8 as COVID cases grew and uncertainty remained over flying. The shuttle service, like other businesses, reopened and resumed when checkpoints in Key Largo came down on June 1. But calls for service never came.
Now, Keys Shuttle is back online, albeit on a limited basis, with one van making one daily run beginning in Key West at 5:30 a.m. and driving up the islands to the two large air hubs in South Florida. Keys Shuttle has picked up residents and tourists from doorsteps since 2000.
As more calls for the service come in, Cisneros said more vans will return to service. That hasn’t happened just yet, however. In normal times, vans run to and from the airports six times a day, seven days a week.
“A lot of people are not flying and that’s where our business is,” Cisneros said. “It’s not anywhere near as many before the pandemic, but still, people need to travel. And the price of a private trip to the airport is very expensive.
“I can’t come back from doing nothing to anywhere near a full schedule,” he continued. “I need the drivers. I have to start gradually.”
Christmas is approaching and New Year’s Eve isn’t far away. Cisneros said it’s a time to gauge air travel and demand for transportation service to airports.
“We want to be ready and we just keep an eye on what’s going on,” Cisneros said. “We’re getting ready and wishing we could get more trips. But we will be adding them as they are needed.”
According to the latest air traffic reports, just over 785,809 passengers on domestic flights and 386,265 international passengers departed and arrived at Miami International Airport in October. That’s down from the previous year when more than 1.7 million domestic passengers and 1.6 million international passengers flew in and out of the busiest South Florida airport. A little over 1 million domestic passengers and 203,000 international passengers enplaned and deplaned at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in October.
Beginning Dec. 9, the Broward County Aviation Department (BCAD) will begin offering a COVID-19 virus testing service at Broward County’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) as an additional amenity for the traveling public. The opening of the on-site testing service comes as more international and domestic destinations require travelers to present a negative COVID-19 test as part of their entry requirements and/or submit to quarantine restrictions.
The rapid antigen with results in 30 minutes will be offered, as well as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test with results within 48 hours. Test costs are $69 for rapid antigen and $99 for the PCR test.
Cisneros said the ultimate goal would be returning the fleet of vans to service, but that will take time.
“I really wish I could get everything back to normal, but it’s not going to pick up overnight,” he said.
Keys Shuttle also provides private trips for people who would rather be traveling by themselves. More information is at keysshuttle.com or by calling 305-289-9997.
