(Photo courtesy of airways.mag.com)

Oakland International Airport officials recently announced that Spirit Airlines will launch the only nonstop flight from Oakland to Fort Lauderdale in Florida starting in April.

The flights between Oakland and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport start on April 1, joining Spirit’s existing Oakland flights to Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, airport officials said Jan. 16.

“Right now, our guests on both coasts have limited options between the Bay Area and South Florida,” Spirit Airlines vice president of network planning John Kirby said in a statement.

“Offering the only nonstop connection between Oakland and Fort Lauderdale makes it easier for travelers on both ends.”

Dan McMenamin is the managing editor at Bay City News, directing daily news coverage of the 12-county greater Bay Area. He has worked for BCN since 2008 and has been managing editor since 2014 after previously serving as BCN’s San Francisco bureau reporter. A UC Davis graduate, he came to BCN after working for a newspaper and nonprofit in the Davis area. He handles staffing, including coaching of our interns, day-to-day coverage decisions and management of the newswire.