Lawn war: 2 US airlines confront massive expansion in Puerto Rico

Mercury is rising in Puerto Ricoand that’s not necessarily because spring is approaching.

Instead, a battle for dominance in the territory’s airline market appears to be raging between the two largest US ultra-low-cost carriers.

Spirit Airlines announced Wednesday that it will be adding five new routes and increasing service on another four to San Juan’s Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU), as you can see in the table below.

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Following the launch of the new service, Spirit will become the second largest carrier by destination, seat number and available seat mileage by island territory.

Through June, the Miramar, Florida-based carrier will offer up to 21 daily departures from San Juan. Overall, Spirit will now serve a total of 16 non-stop routes from the three airports it serves in the territory.

“Spirit Airlines has served the Puerto Rican community for more than two decades, providing affordable fares to connect family and friends across the United States,” John Kirby, vice president of network planning, said in a statement. declare. “Puerto Rico is our number one destination in the Caribbean, with rich history and culture, famous beaches, rainforest and the world’s brightest bioluminescent bay.”

Spirit first landed on the island in 2001 with service to San Juan and has since developed Puerto Rico route maps that include Aguadilla in 2007 and Ponce, returning later in 2022 after serving previously from 2007 to 2008.

As part of Wednesday’s announcement, the airline also wanted to mention its involvement in the local community, including working with a variety of nonprofits and donating more than $100,000 to local community efforts. hurricane relief force.

While Puerto Rico has long been a popular destination in the Caribbean, Spirit’s latest expansion there comes after a similar announcement from one of its biggest rivals, Frontier Airlines.

Two weeks ago, Frontier announced its own major expansion in the territory, with the addition of eight new routes, all due out in May, as you can see in the table below.

With these new flights, Frontier will offer a total of 19 non-stop routes to the island, making the airline the largest carrier serving Puerto Rico by the number of markets served.

Frontier’s expansion probably caught the attention of network planners at Spirit, who weren’t quite ready to let one of its usual competitors gain market share in a key market .

So it’s no surprise that Spirit is retaliated by adding new services or expanding in all but one of the new San Juan markets just announced by Frontier. Additionally, Spirit is adding a route from San Juan to Atlanta, which is one of Frontier’s most important cities.

Continuing to push back against its rivals, Spirit will launch most of its new flights on May 5, just a day after Frontier’s massive expansion begins.

It will be interesting to see if the two airlines can maintain all this new service. The biggest winners, however, are travelers looking for cheap tickets to and from Puerto Rico.

Related: 8 reasons to visit Puerto Rico in 2023

The Frontier expansion comes with introductory fares starting at $49, and now new Spirit flights will start at just $59.

Of course, no matter which airline you choose, you will have to pay an additional fee that can run into the hundreds of dollars for the assignment of seats, luggage, changing clothes, etc.

In terms of passenger experience, Spirit definitely has the upper hand — the airline offers (almost) fleet-wide Wi-Fi, as well as the ability to purchase spacious and comfortable Big Front Seats.

That said, Frontier is poised to become Puerto Rico’s largest carrier, but Spirit is busy bridging that gap.