Two commercial airlines have begun nonstop seasonal service between Key West and the Northeast.
Fire trucks, a red carpet and a man blowing a conch shell greeted passengers stepping off Delta Airlines and U.S. Airways flights Saturday at Key West International Airport.
Delta Airlines is offering flights from New York's LaGuardia Airport daily through Jan. 5. Those flights also will run each Saturday from March 2 through April 6. Key West airport officials say the 1,211-mile flight is the longest commercial route ever to serve the city.
U.S. Airways flights from Washington's Reagan National Airport are being offered once daily through Jan. 5. Those flights will continue each Saturday through April.
Southwest will begin daily service between New Orleans and Key West on March 9.