MIAMI — Brightline announced today that service to Orlando International Airport will begin on Sept. 22, 2023. The new service will offer connections between Orlando and South Florida (Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach), the company stated in a press release.
“Opening Orlando fulfills our ultimate business model. We have seen incredible enthusiasm from the business and tourism industries eager to travel between Central and South Florida,” says Patrick Goddard, Brightline president. “As we start service to Orlando for peak holiday seasons, I encourage everyone to check calendars, make plans, visit our website or app and reserve a seat now.”
Fare promotions accompany opening
For a limited time, Brightline is offering one-way SMART fares starting at $79 for adults and $39 for kids. Groups of four-plus will automatically save an additional 25% on SMART fares. SMART service offers a comfortable business-class option onboard in hand-stitched leather seats, complimentary Starlink WiFi, multiple power and USB outlets and an array of food and beverages available for purchase.
One-way premium fares start at $149, a first class experience with added amenities including a dedicated lounge, priority boarding, checked luggage, and complimentary snacks and beverages throughout the journey.
Brightline also offers a variety of industry promotions for its guests. For corporate riders, Brightline for Business is a dedicated portal for companies to save with fixed-rate rides designed for company needs. Starting this fall, students with eligible email domains can receive up to 25% off SMART rides after creating a Brightline account using an active college or university email.
Reasons to Ride …
The service extension makes travel to Florida attractions and events convenient. For its kick-off weekend, Brightline offers a number of reasons to take the train across Florida:
North
The Brightline Orlando start coincides with professional soccer match pitting Inter Miami battling in-state rival Orlando City at Exploria Stadium in downtown Orlando on September 24. Fans of Karol G can take in her show as she takes the stage at Camping World Stadium the same evening.
Throughout the fall, travelers can connect from South Florida to Orlando for seasonal events including Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World along with Howl-O-Scream at Seaworld Orlando.
Foodies can take in the Epcot International Wine & Food Festival, SeaWorld’s Craft Beer Festival and visit the many Michelin-Star restaurants in Orlando including Knife & Spoon inside the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, an Omakase experience at Kadence located in the Audubon Garden District, and Bacán featuring contemporary Central and South American fare inside the spectacular Lake Nona Wave Hotel.
South
Brightline riders originating in Central Florida can travel south to dine their way across South Florida with special restaurant months across the region from West Palm Beach to Miami. This fall, visitors to Miami can watch a Heat game or favorite performer at the Kaseya Center, stop in Fort Lauderdale to root on the legendary Lionel Messi as he plays his first season with Inter Miami CF, visit art murals in Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village, grab brunch at The Square in downtown West Palm Beach, enjoy one of the Miami’s top food festivals with South Beach Seafood Festival, or dance the night away at III Points Music Festival.
Get Connected with Brightline+
In Orlando, transportation and mobility options will cater to the unique needs of the Orlando visitor through Brightline+ products available to book directly through the Brightline app and website. When booked, guests receive confirmation email and instructions on how to add on extras such as parking, checked baggage, and Brightline+ mobility options closer to their trip date.
In South Florida, Brightline’s stations are within walking distance of major attractions. For those looking to travel beyond the city centers, Brightline+ offers a wide variety of first- and last-mile mobility options to get guests to and from the stations. Guests simply pre-book an Uber during the train reservation process or opt for walk up services including fixed route pickup and drop off shuttles to the airports, neighborhood electric vehicles that take guests anywhere within a 3-mile radius of the stations and dedicated event shuttles.
Premium booked guests also enjoy Brightline’s first- and last-mile service to get to and from the station with complimentary Uber rides anywhere within a 5-mile radius in South Florida. To see all Brightline+ services available, visit gobrightline.com/mobility.
For more on Brightline, visit: gobrightline.com.
Service was originally slated to begin this summer, with Brightline celebrating the rail line completion between Orlando and Miami back in June. However, additional crew certification and train testing, as well as the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, created delays in the service’s launch.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Charles- Thank you for that infomation Most of the major cities you mentioned are well covered with public transportation . In New York City JFK has the the Airtrain with links to the LIRR in Jamaica to the E, J, and Z lines and the link at Howard Beach to the A train. Of course LaGuardia Airport has no rail link and most likely never willdue to the politicans ineptness and not coming up with a decent plan that benefits everybody and those infamous NIMBYS of Astoria and Northern Queens who oppose everything being proposed or built. At least LaGuardia does have bus service and plans are underway to expand service and add new routes. Here in Orlando plans are in the works for the Sunrail connection to the airport but it seems like it will take years for this to happen At Orlando Airport, there is a space already reserved for when the Sunrail trains will serve the airport. Mr Rice- I didnt see th4 article you mention in Newsline but I will research it and check it out. Orlando is one of the fastest growing cities America and with people moving here and not just tourists coming here to visit, We most certinly need first class quality public transportation as any urban city needs to serve their citizens
Joseph C. Markfelder
“Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund acquires Brightline’s parent company”
Brightline is owned by a hostile anti-American foreign government.
Charles- I admire your devotion and dedication to airline travel and while airline travel is the number one preferred method to get somewhere fast and on time, how many airports in fairly medium to large cities have decent public transportation to get you to your final destination ? Whether you are going to the inner city or the business center or even a resdential section, youhave to scramble to either rent a car, use a ride sharing service like Uber or Lyft or taxi or a car service or have somebody meet you at the airport with their car. All the time you save flying to and from your destination Airport A to Airport B is quickly lost by spending time getting out of the airport and on the road. Most of these airports are lacking with decent rail connections or at least bus lines. Here in Orlando, as I have previously mentioned in posts that there is no decent public transportation connection OIA with downtown Orlando . There is only one or two bus lines operated by Lynx which run far apart and shut down after 10pm on weekdays and at 8pm on weekends. Too many cars already clogging up Orlando Airport on their roads and parking lots and of Florida is drowning in a sea of freeways and congestion and more smog and pollution from all these cars. And of course the car dealerships here don’t help Their sole mission is to sell more and more cars with the goal of 3 to 4 cars per family and the politicans here in Florida think that by building more expressways by either expansion of more lanes or doubledecking the exisiting ones will allieviate the problem which will only bring more cars to the overcrowded highways. Let;s hope Brightline is the start of turning things around and reverse the course of car happy Flordians to use the train. And Brightline is going to give Amtrak a run for its money and might just force Amtrak to change and improve the way they operate their trains with better and more frequent service and reliablity. Brightline is the start of a new travel revolution and rail rebirth in this country
Joseph C. Markfelder
Joseph, I hope you saw the prior NewsLine article about how Orlando is working to resolve the connectivity issue you have raised.
Airports in USA with decent public transportation:
Denver
JFK
Boston
Chicago O’Hare
Chicago Midway sort of decent
Milwaukee sort of decent – as good as Amtrak downtown
Atlanta
SeaTac Washington State
and I’m sure others as well
San Francisco (to BART)
Oakland (to BART)
Burbank (to Amtrak and Metrolink)
Denver (to RTD; it’s DIA, not DEN)
John, Freeway guide signs say DIA but the airport code is DEN.
BWI: Amtrak, MARC, and light rail; Cleveland Hopkins: RTA Red Line; Philly: SEPTA trains to center city
Finally, ready to run freely on the rails. Big bravo Brightline!
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Earlier this year Brightline originally thought it would start SEP 1. Just 22 days late? In new RR passenger service that is amazing. Around the world and in USA delays come fast even 22 months late. We probably not know what this very limited delay came from. However, suspect mostly some political interference?
The last delay was caused by a last minute change by the USCG on rules around the opening and closing of the drawbridge in Stuart. This rule change did not go out for public review, it was just simply published in the congressional record and caught Brightline and the FEC by total surprise.
So they had to regroup with the USCG to layout and retest how it was going to work. I don’t have any proof right in front of me but the fact that Rep Mast (who has been objecting to Brightline) office sits just a few hundred yards from the bridge, leads one to believe that he pulled the strings with the USCG to interfere.
I will need to take a circuitous route from Houston to make a train connection with Brightline. My vow to abstain from flying since 2005 due to the indignities that have accrued at checkpoints for boarding and air rage continues through this day.
Penelope —- I’ve logged more flights than you can imagine — I think my log is 185 flights from 1966 to last month. I have never seen air rage or anything remotely approaching … not a single incident of rude or disruptive passengers or cabin crew.
As for the checkpoints, no one likes them but if you get a KTN number as I have they’re less of a hassle.
My home airport is the low-key, low-stress MKE General Mitchell in Milwaukee. From joining the KTN queue (“TSA Pre-Check”), to putting stuff back in my pockets, is about five minutes. The worst is DEN Denver International where it takes about twenty minutes. But look at it this way, DEN processes way more passengers than Amtrak Denver, going to way more places way more frequently. As a strident believer (as I post often) in multiple daily frequencies, I put my money where my keyboard is by chosing airlines over 1xdaily Amtrak.
Being that my wife enjoys flying less than I do, I’ve explained the differences in cost, time, amenities, hassle and comfort between Amtrak Denver – Chicago – Milwaukee, and United Airlines DEN-MKE direct, First Class. Like me, she’s now choosing United Airlines First Class over the train.
I’ve driven Virginia to California on vacation every year since 2003, with the exception of 2013. Yes, I’ve occasionally flown since 2001. But, not like I used to! Don’t worry, the airlines don’t care.
‘Bout bloody time.
Indeed. great news 🙂
Great news! Can’t wait to take a ride.