The Top Routes for the Carrier’s Airbus A319s

Spirit Airlines is a leading ultra-low-cost airline headquartered in Florida. The popular airline operates out of ten different US bases to over 90 destinations across the US, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Despite recent economic issues and its tendency to make news for passenger behavior, the airline has remained a key player in budget travel.

Per Spirit’s website, the airline flies an all-Airbus fleet. Spirit’s smallest and oldest aircraft is the Airbus A319, which the airline uses regularly on routes. According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, 13 destinations will receive 25 or more Spirit A319 flights this June. As the airline looks to expand its routes in core markets, the top five routes all have Fort Lauderdale (FLL) as the origin or destination.

The top route for the aircraft is the corridor between Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Baltimore (BWI), with 69 operations each way. Some other routes on the June A319 schedule include flights to Texas, Guatemala, Jamaica, and Mexico.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

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Spirit’s A319 fleet

The Airbus A319 is one of the shortest members of the Airbus A320 family. This variant was first flown commercially in 1996, nearly eight years after the first A320 entered service. The A319 features the same widened aisle as all members of the A320 family, but its length was shortened by 12 feet 3 inches. Although this meant two emergency exits could be removed, the aircraft remained unchanged.

Per ch-aviation, Spirit’s Airbus A319 fleet consists of 15 examples, nine of which are currently active. The fleet’s average age is 17.1 years, making it the airline’s oldest. Despite its age, the A319 continues to provide reliable and comfortable service to airline passengers. According to Airbus, the A319 offers versatile seating options that ensure the utmost comfort.

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The A319s in Spirit Airlines’ fleet seat 145 passengers in a single economy class configuration, per aeroLOPA. Ten of these seats are wider, plusher, and offer additional legroom. Spirit calls these premium-style seats “Big Front Seats.”

Spirit takes advantage of the A319’s continued benefits by operating the aircraft regularly on routes. In June, 13 destinations will receive 25 or more A319 flights operated by Spirit Airlines.

Route #1: FLL–BWI

The top June route for Spirit’s A319 fleet connects Fort Lauderdale (FLL) with Baltimore (BWI). The route is 925 miles each way, and the average flight time is around two hours and 15 minutes.

Spirit will operate 69 flights each way on this 925-mile route, using its A319s to transport over 20,000 passengers.

Spirit’s competitor on this route is Southwest Airlines. Unlike Spirit, Southwest uses its Boeing 737s and 737MAX 8s on this route.

Route #2: FLL–EWR

The June A319 route coming in second place is in the Fort Lauderdale (FLL)–Newark (EWR) corridor. Each leg will receive 33 flights, less than half the number of flight operations in the FLL-BWI corridor.

The FLL–EWR route is 1,065 miles each way, which is twice as long as FLL-BWI. Each flight takes approximately two and a half hours on the A319.

Other airlines operating this route include JetBlue, which uses its A320s, and Delta, with its fleet of Boeing 757s. Spirit also operates other aircraft on this route, including its A320s and A320neos.

Route #3: FLL–GUA

Spot number three goes to the Spirit A319 route connecting Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Guatemala City (GUA). This international route will get 31 flights in June.

Each one-way flight on this route is 1,037 miles and takes about two and a half hours. Interestingly, Spirit is the only airline currently operating direct FLL-GUA flights. Spirit also uses its Airbus A320s and A320neos on this route.

Route #4: FLL–KIN

The fourth-place route is tied with the third- and fifth-place routes regarding the number of operations. Spirit will offer 31 June A319 flights each way in the Fort Lauderdale (FLL)–Kingston (KIN) corridor.

This route is the shortest for Spirit’s A319s, at only 600 miles. The average flight duration is an hour and a half.

Spirit’s main competitor on this route is JetBlue, which uses its A320 fleet in the corridor. Spirit will also fly its A320neos on this route in June.

Route #5: FLL–SAT

In June, the final top-five route for Spirit’s A319s is domestic. The corridor connecting Fort Lauderdale (FLL) with San Antonio (SAT) will also have 31 flights each way.

This route is the longest in the top five, at 1,145 miles, and the second longest for the A319. The average flight time is two hours and 50 minutes.

Spirit is currently the only airline offering direct flights between FLL and SAT. The airline also uses other A320 family aircraft on the route, including the A320neo.

Other A319 routes

Spirit will offer 11 additional June A319 routes to seven more destinations. Nine routes have Orlando (MCO) as the origin or destination; the other two again include FLL. Per our original search parameters (routes with 25+ operations), the remaining A319 routes range from 25 to 28 operations.

The longest route on the list is Orlando (MCO)–St. Thomas (STT), at 1,247 miles. Spirit’s shortest A319 route in June is between Orlando (MCO) and New Orleans (MSY). At only 550 miles, the flight time averages less than an hour and a half.