Spirit Airlines is going big and bold in two of its newest markets. Today, the airline will inaugurate services out of St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) and Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF). At the same time, both destinations are getting new routes, with St. Louis seeing nearly double Spirit's initial run of services.
Spirit Airlines nearly doubles in St. Louis
Four new routes from St. Louis will start this winter onboard Spirit Airlines. They are to the following destinations – all with daily service:
- Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers
- Phoenix-Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) in Arizona
- Tampa International Airport (TPA) in Florida
- Cancun International Airport (CUN) in Mexico
Flights to Fort Myers, Phoenix, and Tampa are all slated to start on November 17th. Cancun flights are expected to run from December 22nd – ahead of the busy December holiday season. Cancun will be Spirit's first international service out of St. Louis.
The first departure out of St. Louis on Thursday, May 27th, will run to Los Angeles (LAX). Other destinations starting today include Las Vegas (LAS), Orlando (MCO), and Fort Lauderdale (FLL). Flights to Pensacola (PNS) will start on June 10th.
This will bring Spirit's overall St. Louis portfolio to nine routes. Speaking on the new routes, John Kirby, Vice President of Network Planning for Spirit Airlines, stated the following:
"St. Louis travelers know how to spot a good value, and they're clearly excited about Spirit's arrival at St. Louis Lambert International. We saw a strong response as soon as we announced our first routes, so the decision to add more nonstop routes to fun destinations was easy to make. With low-cost flights to St. Louis' most popular vacation destinations, Gateway City residents have more opportunities to enjoy a quick getaway or spend time with friends and families."
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Louisville gets new services
Spirit Airlines' first foray into Kentucky, Louisville, is also getting two new routes on Spirit:
- Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers four times per week
- Tampa International Airport (TPA) in Florida three times per week
Fort Myers service starts on November 17th. On the next day, Spirit will begin Tampa service. Both of these flights will start just in time for the popular winter travel season. Spirit will compete against new startup Breeze Airways on the Louisville to Tampa route.
Spirit Airlines' first departure out of Louisville is to Fort Lauderdale. Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Orlando are all getting service from Louisville starting today. All of these routes will run daily. Thrice per week service to Pensacola will start on June 10th.
This will bring Spirit to serving seven destinations out of Louisville. Speaking on the new routes, John Kirby, Vice President of Network Planning for Spirit Airlines, stated the following:
"It's a beautiful day when we get to bring the best value in the sky to a vibrant city like Louisville and announce plans for even More Go on day one. I've seen so much enthusiasm across the whole Spirit Team as we prepared to welcome Guests onboard in Louisville, and we're off to a great start serving this incredible community. We look forward to everyone experiencing our unbeatable combination of service, reliability, new planes and low fares when they take their next trip."
Spirit continues its growth in the US
Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale are some of Spirit's most important airports. Spirit Airlines offers a range of connecting opportunities to the Caribbean and Latin America from the latter three.
Travel is starting to come back, and people are showing the destinations they want to visit. However, the important aspect is that Spirit is looking at these cities from a long-term perspective and getting back to business.
The new routes to Florida, Mexico, and Arizona are starting this winter. These are typically important destinations for heartland travelers in the winter. Not just during a pandemic, but even during some of the best years in the airline industry.
As such, Spirit is showing it is willing to make a long-term commitment in both cities. Louisville and St. Louis are mainly origination markets for leisure travelers. Nevertheless, passengers will benefit from lower fares and more options on Spirit's bright yellow planes and a superb loyalty program that is one of the fastest ways to earn elite status.
Are you glad to see Spirit Airlines expand its services out of St. Louis and Louisville? Let us know in the comments!