A Big Week For Spirit Airlines: 30 New Routes Launching

Spirit Airlines has a big week planned with 31 new routes starting in time for the Thanksgiving holiday rush. With leisure travel expected to return to near 2019 levels this holiday season, the airline is busy connecting new city pairs, powered by new fuel-efficient Airbus A320neo aircraft deliveries. Tuesday marked the start of the route launches, with Wednesday, November 17th, seeing the vast majority of routes starting.

Miami gets 19 new routes

With eight routes already in operation from Miami International Airport (MIA), Spirit Airlines is going big with 18 new routes starting between Tuesday, November 16th, and Thursday, November 18th.

On Tuesday, the airline launched flights between MIA and Las Vegas (LAS). On November 18th, it will launch service to San Pedro Sula (SAP). The remaining 16 routes are all launching on November 17th. Those cities are:

1. Barranquilla (BAQ) in Colombia
2. Boston (BOS)
3. Cali (CLO) in Colombia
4. Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
5. Cleveland (CLE)
6. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
7. Denver (DEN)
8. Detroit (DTW)
9. Hartford (BDL)
10. Houston (IAH)
11. Myrtle Beach (MYR)
12. New York LaGuardia (LGA)
13. Orlando (MCO)
14. Philadelphia (PHL)
15. Raleigh-Durham (RDU)
16. San Juan (SJU)

These routes will significantly expand Spirit’s presence in Miami and make it a sizable force at the airport. It will add another route on November 24th to Tegucigalpa-Palmerola (XPL) and then add four more routes in January and February next year.

Seven new routes from the Midwest

Spirit Airlines has added several new cities to its network this year. Two new additions were Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) and St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL). On November 17th, it will launch seven new routes, split between four new ones from Milwaukee and three from St. Luis.

Milwaukee will see new daily services to Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Fort Myers (RSW), Phoenix (PHX), and  Tampa (TPA). St. Louis will similarly see new daily nonstop flights to Fort Myers (RSW), Phoenix (PHX), and Tampa (TPA).

These warm-weather routes are coming just in time for a busy season for travelers looking for a warm-weather getaway. In December, both airports will also get new flights to Cancun on Spirit ahead of the Christmas and New Year’s Day holiday season.

Five more routes

Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) was also a new addition this year. Spirit will launch four weekly flights to Fort Myers (RSW) from SDF on November 17th. On the 18th, it will launch three weekly flights to Tampa (TPA).

Over at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT), Spirit airlines will also be adding new flights to Florida. On November 18th, a four-weekly service will start to Fort Myers. On the 18th, it will launch flights to Tampa with three flights per week.

Lastly, from LaGuardia Airport (LGA), the airline will launch a beyond-perimeter flight on Saturdays (the only exception to the perimeter rule) to Phoenix (PHX). This will complement the airline’s beyond-perimeter flight to Los Angeles.

A busy holiday season

While Thanksgiving was a comparatively busy holiday season in 2020, it was nothing compared to the typical rush in 2019 or 2018. This year, airlines are expecting another rush of travelers. With vaccinations rolling out and the epidemiological indicators pointing in the right direction in many geographies, airlines are preparing for widespread travel to come back.

Spirit is launching all of these routes in time for the holiday season that starts with Thanksgiving. December will also be a key month as Spirit will benefit from the Christmas and New Year’s holidays when travelers will embark on longer vacations, likely to some international destinations as well.

Coming out of the crisis, this is the start of the next chapter for Spirit Airlines as it continues to expand its fleet, enters new airports, and becomes an even larger force in the air travel market.

Source: https://simpleflying.com/a-big-week-for-spirit-airlines-30-new-routes-launching/