Spirit Airlines continues to adapt its network to pursue more demand.
The Dania Beach, Florida-based carrier has quietly added four new routes and suspended three others as part of its latest round of schedule adjustments, as first seen in Cirium Diio data and was later confirmed by a spokesperson for the carrier.
Spirit’s new routes include three daily flights:
- Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI) — Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE)
- BWI — Charleston International Airport (CHS) in South Carolina
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) — O’Hare International Airport (ORD) in Chicago
Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG’s free bi-weekly Aviation newsletter.
All three flights will begin on August 14. The Baltimore routes will operate once a day, while the new 235-mile shuttle route from Detroit to Chicago will operate twice a day.
Additionally, Spirit will add five-times-weekly service between Nashville International Airport (BNA) and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) starting September 5.
Three of Spirit’s new routes will compete with Southwest Airlines, which already operates both a Baltimore route and a service from Nashville to New Orleans.
Furthermore, the airline is going up against the “Big Three” US airlines (American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines), which already offer extensive service on the Detroit-Chicago route.
Daily newsletter
Gift your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers to get breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive offers from TPG experts
While Spirit has long chosen more leisure-focused markets, the airline has hemorrhaging money since the coronavirus pandemic. To increase profits, the airline is diversifying its network into more established markets in larger cities.
Opportunities like Detroit to Chicago will also help carriers Add more connection optionstop priority for Spirit’s network planners.
Just this year, Spirit has made countless adjustments to its network. While that’s typical of ultra-low-cost airlines, Spirit is doing what it can to chase new demand.
Along with the network changes, the airline is also trying to shed its image as the ultimate supplier of nickel and dimer. As part of that, Spirit announced a series of customer-focused innovationsincluding Eliminate change feesincreased baggage limits and more flexible travel documents.
View the map: The ‘Most Sexy New Route’ of the year award goes to…
Whether that will lead to more bookings is anyone’s guess, but United CEO Scott Kirby concluded that these low-cost airlines are “going out of business,” as shared on a recent episode of Podcast “Airshow”.
Along with the new routes, Spirit is also suspending three other routes:
- BWI — San Diego International Airport (SAN)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) — Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE)
- ORD — Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon
The airline confirmed that these are seasonal cuts, but we’ll have to watch to see if they return next year.
Related reading:
