The drive to Key West runs the length of the Overseas Highway. Starting Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving, there is a shorter way down from Fort Lauderdale: Tropic Ocean Airways is adding scheduled flights from Fort Lauderdale to Key West, with a flight time of under an hour and fares from $199.

The route

The airline says the new flights will operate Thursday through Sunday, beginning Nov. 27. They arrive at Signature Aviation at Key West International Airport. Seats on the scheduled flights are booked online through the airline's website.

Tropic Ocean Airways is based in Fort Lauderdale, at the Sheltair facility at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, 1050 Lee Wagener Blvd. The company has flown private charter and scheduled flights since 2009 throughout Florida, the Caribbean and beyond, and its fleet includes seaplanes and amphibious aircraft.

Scheduled seats or a whole plane

The scheduled service is a new option alongside what the airline already sells to Key West: private seaplane charters, booked through its charter team for a group on its own timetable. The airline says charter routing depends on aircraft availability, distance, weather, passenger count, luggage, landing location and operational planning, and that its amphibious aircraft can simplify the last leg for travelers staying near the water or meeting a yacht.

Charters cannot be booked online. Scheduled flights can.

Before you fly

Tropic publishes its check-in steps, baggage and weight limits, pet policy and rules for minors traveling alone on its travel information page, including pre-filled departure forms for its Fort Lauderdale base.

How to book

Book scheduled Key West seats at flytropic.com/key-west. Reservations and charter questions go to Tropic Ocean Airways at 954-210-5569. Flights begin Friday, Nov. 27, and run Thursday through Sunday.

Sources