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Snowbirds, rejoice: WestJet adds St. John's-Fort Lauderdale flight

The once-a-week direct flight will run March 11 through May 13, 2019.

The once-a-week direct flight will run March 11 through May 13 next year

Spring breakers play beach volleyball in Fort Lauderdale Beach. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/The Associated Press)

A new direct flight to Florida from St. John's will start in March, WestJet announced Tuesday.

The Canadian airline is adding a direct flight to Fort Lauderdale, which will start March 11, 2019.

It will operate a limited basis through May 13, 2019.

"WestJet knows that the community of St. John's embraces Florida in the winter," Brian Znotins, a vice-president with WestJet, said in a release.

With the addition, WestJet will operate 29 weekly departures from St. John's, including non-stop flights to Orlando.

The new flight announcement comes on the same day WestJet Airlines Ltd. reports a third-quarter profit of $45.9 million, down from a profit of $135.9 million in the same quarter last year amid rising fuel prices.

Earlier this year, WestJet cut direct flights from St. John's to Gatwick, as well as a twice-daily run between Deer Lake and Halifax.

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