Melbourne, Florida, is getting its first long-haul flights
Orlando's third airport, Melbourne, on the Atlantic coast of Florida, is getting its first international scheduled flights. Leisure carrier TUI Airways has announced that it will switch its Orlando operations from Sanford (SFB) to Melbourne (MLB) from 2022.
These two airports may not be as familiar to some passengers as the city's main Orlando International Airport (MCO), which is used by most international carriers like British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Norwegian. However, Sanford serves a number of UK destinations, all on TUI:
- Birmingham (BHX)
- Bristol (BRS)
- Doncaster/Sheffield (DSA)
- Edinburgh (EDI)
- Glasgow (GLA)
- London Gatwick (LGW)
- Manchester (MAN)
- Newcastle upon Tyne (NCL)
Sanford is around 28 miles north of downtown Orlando, while Melbourne is about 70 miles from town, on the east side of the city. Orlando's popular theme parks are located just west of the city, close to Orlando International Airport.
Melbourne airport was awarded Florida's 2019 "Commercial Service Airport of the Year", despite only serving a handful of domestic destinations. Year-round services are limited to Atlanta (ATL) with Delta and Charlotte (CLT) with American. In 2018, the airport handled 500,000 passengers, versus 45 million at Orlando International and 3 million at Sanford.
Melbourne Airport is hoping to grow its passenger numbers considerably and is investing in the airport passenger experience. MLB Executive Director Greg Donovan explained, "TUI's proven product combined with MLB's exceptional concierge services will make for an unprecedented customer experience for U.K. holidaymakers traveling to Florida. With more than $100 million of investment into MLB's airport facilities over the last few years, and much more on the way, MLB will be practically the newest and most modern airport in Florida".
While the airport is still a considerable distance from theme parks, TUI is promoting the fact that Melbourne Airport is right on the coast, which is convenient for those heading to the beach, as well as being closer to popular destinations in the South of Florida, such as Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Miami is, however, 180 miles from the MLB airport.
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Annual Fee
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Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month