Bahamasair begins new direct flights between Miami and Bimini

The islands in the Bahamas are the closest landfall from the United States mainland and, of these, Bimini Island is the closest from Miami — about 50 miles.

So a flight should be a zip, about as long as an episode of "Grace and Frankie" or a Led Zeppelin guitar solo. Try 30 minutes between Miami and Bimini.

Beginning Thursday, Bahamasair will start nonstop service between Miami and Bimini.

The flights, aboard the 50-seater ATR-42 aircraft, depart from Miami International Airport to South Bimini Airport.

The flights are scheduled to depart from Miami at 1:30 p.m. and arrive in Bimini at 2 p.m., and leave Bimini at 2:30 p.m.

To start, flights are scheduled to operate four days a week — Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday.

The addition of Bimini to Bahamasair's itinerary was designed to expand and support the air carrier's tourism product, Tracy Cooper, managing director of Bahamasair Holdings told Bahamas.Com.

Bimini, dubbed the gateway to the Bahamas, is about 7 1/2 miles long and nine square miles and is known for its picturesque, aquamarine waters. Famed visitors included Ernest Hemingway and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

A brief scene in the Oscar-winning 1991 film, "The Silence of the Lambs," was filmed in Bimini. Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins, chose South Bimini as his retirement home.

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This story was originally published May 1, 2018 at 3:09 PM with the headline "Bahamasair begins new direct flights between Miami and Bimini."