Spirit Airlines is jettisoning four of its flights at Charleston International under a broader major shakeup of its U.S. route network.
The airport said Oct. 1 that its industry liaison confirmed the cuts, which include a nonstop between the Lowcountry and Las Vegas that the budget carrier rolled out last year. It’s scheduled to end Nov. 6.
A four-day-a-week flight to Detroit, launched in July, has been scuttled effective immediately.
And flights to Logan International in Boston and New York City’s LaGuardia Airport will go away Oct. 8 and Dec. 3, respectively.
They’re among more than 30 airport pairings that Spirit is planning to shed. The cutbacks were first reported by AirlineGeeks.com, an aviation news website, over the weekend.
Spirit did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
The no-frills airline known for its bright-yellow planes is expected to continue serving Fort Lauderdale, Philadelphia and Newark, N.J., near New York City from CHS, where it launched its first flight about 18 months ago.
No scheduling changes were identified for Myrtle Beach International, where the airline is a key source of passenger traffic for the Grand Strand tourism industry.
Unlike its larger rivals, Spirit hasn’t benefited financially from the post-pandemic airline recovery. It was dealt a blow earlier this year when a judge blocked its plans to combine with JetBlue Airways.
The Dania Beach, Fla.-based carrier is seeking to reverse its fortunes under a $100 million cost-savings plan. Earlier this year, it announced it would delay delivery of new Airbus jets and furlough pilots, among other measures, in an effort to conserve cash.
Spirit recently reported a $193 million second-quarter loss and an 11 percent revenue decline, which CEO Ted Christie attributed to the “continued intense competitive battle” for price-sensitive leisure passengers.
The airline said on Aug. 1 that a key part of the turnaround plan would be a realignment of its flight schedule.
“Compared to the third quarter 2023, in the third quarter 2024 the company will have exited 42 markets and added 77 new ones,” Spirit said in a quarterly update to its shareholders.
The airline added that it would be working “aggressively” to fine-tune its route offerings “to better match seasonal and daily demand” by beefing up service in markets where “trends are more in balance.”
