Summary
- Spirit has cut 10 airports from its network in the past year.
- March-May 2024 capacity is up by 5% versus last year, lower than other carriers.
- It has bet on Florida helping, as seats for sale have grown significantly, mainly because of its Fort Lauderdale stronghold.
Ultra-low-cost Spirit is the seventh-largest airline serving the US, based on examining flights using OAG data. While all airlines remove airports from their networks, seemingly struggling Spirit has cut 10 in the past year: Bucaramanga; Aguadilla; Charleston (WV); Denver; Lima; Los Cabos; Manchester; Monterrey; Ponce; and Puerto Vallarta.
Up To 58 Daily Flights: The Huge Boston-Greater NYC Market Examined
Spirit is returning, effectively replacing JetBlue to Newark.
Spirit: a summary
This article was researched and written on March 2. Based on schedules supplied by Spirit to OAG, the carrier has 14.90 million two-way seats for sale between March and May 2024. Things may be fine-tuned toward the end of this period.
Source: OAG. Figure: James Pearson
Capacity is up by a massive 40% versus 2019 to a record high. However, it has increased by a much more reasonable 5% year-on-year, partly reflecting its more limited capacity growth plan, grounded aircraft (including because of the ongoing Pratt & Whitney engine problem), and retired aircraft. The capacity discipline will hopefully contribute towards better financial performance as the summer approaches.
Three developments are notable:
- Florida: 10% more seats than last year, mainly driven by Fort Lauderdale (see below)
- Other states: no real change
- International: -20%
While Spirit’s seats increased by 5%, fellow ULCC Frontier is +26%, and all US capacity generally is +7%. Excluding the pandemic years and 2024, Spirit has grown by 10-30% every year since 2014.
Photo: Airbus
Spirit’s top 10 airports
The ULCC’s March-May 2024 network comprises 82 airports. This excludes any of the 10 facilities that left its portfolio in this period.
Not surprisingly, Fort Lauderdale continues to be its leading airport. It has doubled down on where it is strong and dominant and where it believes the opportunity is more significant and it can win. This growth is despite its network from the airport falling by one route year-on-year.
Photo: Spirit
The significant declines in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Atlanta are apparent. They are major cities, but Spirit faces considerable competition from Frontier and others. Notice the growth at Newark, from which Spirit will again fly to Boston (among other added routes).
|
Rank |
Airport |
Seats for sale (each way for March-May)* |
Change vs. 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Fort Lauderdale |
1.86 million |
+16% |
|
2 |
Orlando International |
1.53 million |
-3% |
|
3 |
Las Vegas |
1.20 million |
-13% |
|
4 |
Detroit |
554,000 |
+1% |
|
5 |
Los Angeles |
534,000 |
-22% |
|
6 |
Atlanta |
528,000 |
-20% |
|
7 |
Dallas Fort Worth |
517,000 |
+8% |
|
8 |
Newark |
514,000 |
+22% |
|
9 |
Houston Intercontinental |
461,000 |
+5% |
|
10 |
Chicago O’Hare |
444,000 |
+14% |
|
* Double for both ways |
Fort Lauderdale-Atlanta is its #1 route
While subject to change, Spirit plans to operate 336 routes between March and May, based on a minimum of three flights. Some 290 routes are domestic and 46 international. The 581-mile (935 km) link between Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta has more seats for sale than any other route. It is served 5 daily (down from an average of 6 daily last year).
Photo: Kevin Porter | Shutterstock
Spirit is one of five carriers in the market. It competes against (Delta; up to 13 daily), Southwest (4 daily), Frontier (up to 2 daily), and JetBlue (daily). About 60% of Spirit’s passengers in this airport pair are point-to-point; they don’t travel anywhere else.
Will you be flying Spirit soon? Let us know in the comment section.
