Frontier adds 4 routes, fills void left by Spirit Airlines
Frontier Airlines is picking up where Spirit Airlines left off at several busy airports.
In the wake of Spirit’s collapse, Frontier on Tuesday announced it’s adding four new routes, several of which were staples for its defunct rival.
The new service unveiled this week includes new flights to South Florida, Orlando, the Caribbean and Detroit — all cities where Spirit previously had a big presence.
Elsewhere, Frontier will add new Florida service from its home base at Denver International Airport (DEN). It will also try to make up ground in Detroit, a major Midwest hub where Spirit had been the top challenger to Delta Air Lines, the No. 1 carrier in town.
Read more: Spirit is gone. Can other budget airlines survive?
Frontier’s 4-route expansion
Here’s the rundown of the four routes Frontier announced Tuesday, which include some all-new routes and a couple that the carrier previously flew several years ago.
| Route | Launch date | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
|
DEN to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
|
Nov. 20 |
Daily |
|
Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport (DTW) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
|
Nov. 20 |
Daily |
|
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU)
|
Dec. 17 |
Daily |
|
Kansas City International Airport (MCI) to Orlando International Airport (MCO)
|
Nov. 20 |
Four times per week |
Frontier previously flew DEN-FLL in 2020 and operated the MCI-MCO route as recently as 2022.
New points option: Frontier lands its first transfer partner
Filling a Spirit-sized void
Three of these routes represent service that Spirit operated prior to its collapse — or at least up until it started slashing routes late last year as its finances deteriorated.
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That includes the Detroit-LA, Houston-San Juan and Kansas City-Orlando routes announced Tuesday by Frontier.
It’s not surprising to see Frontier move in to fill a void left by its former top rival. After all, the two airlines had, until May, competed as America’s two biggest ultra-low-cost carriers.
Speaking in May after Spirit ceased operations, Frontier CEO James Dempsey had said the Denver-based airline would be “disciplined” in adding routes (or assets) vacated by Spirit.
Frontier, he said, had already overlapped with its former budget rival on about a third of its routes.
Read more: In Spirit’s wake, will a big airfare spike be next?
New Starlink Wi-Fi, too
Frontier’s new route announcement came just hours after the carrier revealed plans to outfit its airplanes with fast on-board Wi-Fi from Starlink.
The discounter has not previously offered internet on its jets.
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