Update: Spirit Airlines has now put all 30 of these new routes on sale, for anyone interested in booking. Below you can find the original post from June 9, 2021.
Spirit Airlines has just announced that it will start flying to Miami. This is great news for consumers, and not so great news for American Airlines, which is increasingly losing market share at its South Florida hub.
Spirit Airlines launching 30 routes from Miami
Spirit Airlines is already the biggest airline at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), and the airline has now taken the first public step towards launching service at Miami International Airport (MIA). The airline states that this new Miami service will supplement existing Fort Lauderdale service, and reflects that demand in South Florida is getting stronger and stronger.
Spirit Airlines has released the 30 routes that it intends to fly, along with when the routes should launch. The procedure for starting new service at MIA requires that the airline make a public filing outlining routes and start dates before being able to obtain gate and counter space at the airport. The final schedule may be adjusted based on the outcome of that process.
Here are the 30 routes that Spirit Airlines plans to operate out of Miami:
- Atlantic City (ACY) daily as of October 6, 2021
- Atlanta (ATL) daily as of October 6, 2021
- Baltimore (BWI) daily as of October 6, 2021
- Barranquilla (BAQ) daily as of November 17, 2021
- Bogota (BOG) daily as of October 6, 2021
- Boston (BOS) daily as of November 17, 2021
- Cali (CLO) daily as of November 17, 2021
- Chicago (ORD) daily as of November 17, 2021
- Cleveland (CLE) daily as of November 17, 2021
- Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) daily as of November 17, 2021
- Denver (DEN) daily as of November 17, 2021
- Detroit (DTW) daily as of November 17, 2021
- Guatemala City (GUA) daily as of October 6, 2021
- Hartford-Bradley (BDL) daily as of November 17, 2021
- Houston (IAH) daily as of November 17, 2021
- Las Vegas (LAS) daily as of November 17, 2021
- Medellin (MDE) daily as of October 6, 2021
- Myrtle Beach (MYR) daily as of November 17, 2021
- New York (LGA) 2x daily as of November 17, 2021
- Newark (EWR) daily as of October 6, 2021
- Orlando (MCO) daily as of November 17, 2021
- Philadelphia (PHL) daily as of November 17, 2021
- Port-au-Prince (PAP) daily as of October 6, 2021
- Raleigh-Durham (RDU) daily as of November 17, 2021
- San Jose (SJO) 4x weekly as of November 17, 2021
- San Juan (SJU) daily as of November 17, 2021
- San Pedro Sula (SAP) daily as of November 17, 2021
- San Salvador (SAL) 3x weekly as of October 7, 2021
- Santo Domingo (SDQ) daily as of October 6, 2021
- St. Thomas (STT) 3x weekly as of November 18, 2021
Why would Spirit Airlines start flying out of Miami?
Some might find it strange for an airline with a huge hub in Fort Lauderdale to also fly out of Miami. However, as a Miami resident I avoid flying out of Fort Lauderdale Airport whenever possible.
It’s not that it’s that inconvenient, but there’s something nice about driving just 10 minutes to the airport, and avoiding the stretch of I-95 between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, which I’m convinced has the world’s worst drivers. On top of that, direct public transportation options between Miami and Fort Lauderdale Airport are quite limited.
I’m not alone in feeling this way, and I know plenty of others who never even check routes or fares out of Fort Lauderdale when planning their travel. I would imagine that enough people think this way, or otherwise airlines wouldn’t be expanding to Miami so much.
I’m excited about this new competition, but…
Miami Airport is on fire lately, and Spirit Airlines is the fourth major airline that previously focused on Fort Lauderdale to also add Miami service:
- Southwest launched flights to Miami as of November 2020
- JetBlue launched flights to Miami as of February 2021
- Emirates is launching flights to Miami as of July 2021
That’s not even factoring in that Delta has expanded significantly in Miami, following the Atlanta-based airline buying a 20% stake in LATAM.
I’m thrilled to see the increased competition in Miami, as this should ultimately benefit consumers, with more choices and lower fares. For a long time American faced surprisingly little domestic competition in Miami, since many airlines viewed Fort Lauderdale as being an acceptable alternative.
That being said, there’s the other side of the equation here, which is that the airport will see a significant uptick in passenger numbers. That potentially means more traffic to the airport, longer security lines, and more crowded terminals.
Bottom line
Spirit Airlines will be expanding in Miami, and the airline sure plans to make a splash, with a total of 30 routes. This follows similar growth in Miami from both JetBlue and Southwest, which also realized that Fort Lauderdale didn’t quite do the trick for those in Miami.
I’m looking forward to the lower fares and increased competition, though am not necessarily looking forward to Miami Airport getting even more crowded.
What do you make of Spirit Airlines’ expansion in Miami?
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