Summary

  • Big news for Alabama and South Florida with new Spirit Airlines nonstop flight route. Exciting opportunities for Birmingham travelers.
  • Spirit shows confidence in Birmingham market with affordable new service to Fort Lauderdale. Limited-time introductory fares offered.
  • Cleveland sees reduction in Spirit Airlines presence, but overall network optimization includes new routes and policy changes.

In some good news for people in Alabama and South Florida, low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines announced yesterday it is launching new nonstop flights between Birmingham and Fort Lauderdale. When the new route opens in October, it will mark the first time Spirit Airlines has served the state of Alabama.

More route changes at Spirit

As well as opening a new nonstop service to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Spirit Airlines (Spirit) is also bringing Birmingham travelers a one-stop connection to its Latin America and Caribbean destinations. The new service will operate from Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) beginning on October 10, 2024.

Spirit Airlines Airbus A320neo landing at DFW shutterstock_2256371149

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

Spirit expects to expand its presence in Birmingham if the demand for this new route makes that a viable proposition as it grows at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth, the largest and busiest airport in Alabama. Now is a good time for Spirit to open the new service, as traffic at the airport is rapidly growing, feeding the continuing high demand for air services nationwide. Spirit Vice President of Network Planning Services, John Kirby, said:

“We can’t wait to welcome aboard Birmingham travelers looking for both an affordable and convenient way to enjoy Fort Lauderdale’s beautiful beaches. Our new daily service will make flying to Fort Lauderdale more accessible and will provide an attractive alternative to driving. It will also make it easier for our Florida guests to enjoy Birmingham’s southern hospitality.”

Related

Spirit Airlines Continues Cutting Florida-Bound Flights As Network Reshuffles

Despite the capacity cut, Spirit Airlines has strengthened its presence at some airports, including in the Sin City.

To help get the new route up and running, Spirit is offering limited-time introductory one-way fares starting at $69 for travel from October 10 through November 19, 2024, subject to 14-day advance purchase and availability. Darlene Wilson, Vice Chair of the Birmingham Airport Authority Board, said Spirit is showing tremendous confidence in this market, and the airport “is thrilled to have this new option available to travelers.”

Not so good in Cleveland

In recent times, Spirit has been making plenty of changes as it optimizes its network. Yesterday, the news outlet Cleveland.com reported that the airline is reducing its presence at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) by suspending its daily nonstop trip to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in early September.

Several Spirit Airlines aircraft parked side by side on the apron at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport.

Photo: YES Market Media | Shutterstock

Spirit spokesperson Tommy Fletcher told the outlet that the route was not being permanently cut but suspended for the season, although it’s unclear when it will return. This marks Spirit’s latest reduction at Cleveland Hopkins, as earlier this year, it announced it was cutting nonstop flights to Miami, Atlanta and Las Vegas from the airport.

Spirit Airlines Airbus aircraft

Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock

Once the service to Los Angeles is suspended, Spirit will operate at just three destinations from Cleveland: Myrtle Beach, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale. Spirit entered the Cleveland market in 2015 with eight destinations, including Los Angeles, and at its peak, it operated flights to 12 destinations from CLE.

When an airline revamps its network, it generally adds and subtracts flights to get a better return on its assets. In Spirit’s case, that means adding flights to Birmingham, in addition to new routes from Baltimore to Milwaukee and Charleston, Chicago to Detroit and Nashville to New Orleans.

Related

Spirit Airlines Follows Frontier & Scraps Change Fees

The new policy allows more flexibility for passengers.

To counter negative customer feedback, this month Spirit refreshed its business model by eliminating change fees, extending the validity of travel vouchers to 12 months (from 90 days) and increasing the allowable weight of the first checked bag to 50 pounds. Hopefully, those changes will be positive for the low-fare carrier as it launched the new nonstop route between Birmingham and Fort Lauderdale.

What do you think of the changes from Spirit? Let us know in the comments.

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