Spirit has been on a roll this year, and it’s only February! We’ve seen them add service to Hartford, CT (BDL) as well as add numerous routes to competitor’s fortress hubs.
Today, Spirit announced that they would begin service to Pittsburgh, PA (PIT), beginning in May.
New Spirit routes. Gray lines are seasonal, yellow lines are year round. Map courtesy of gcmap.com.
Routes are as follows:
- Starting May 25: Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (DFW) – one daily
- Starting May 25: Myrtle Beach, SC (MYR) – one daily seasonal service
- Starting June 15: Ft. Lauderdale, FL (FLL) – three times weekly (Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday)
- Starting June 22: Orlando, FL (MCO) – one daily
- Starting June 22: Las Vegas, NV (LAS) – one daily
- Starting July 13: Houston, TX (IAH) – one daily
- Starting July 13: Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – one daily
Low fares?
Doing a quick cursory search, I saw flights to FLL for as low as $55, flights to MCO as low at $78, and flights to Las Vegas for as low as $103. Remember, Spirit flights aren’t always what they seem, especially if you want to pack a bag (even a carry-on!), choose a seat, or have a snack.
LBE on the chopping block?
For a long time (well, since 2011), Spirit has flown out of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, PA (LBE). Latrobe’s airport is ~40 miles east of Pittsburgh, but is further away from Pittsburgh than Pittsburgh International Airport. While LBE is still loaded through the end of Spirit’s bookable schedule, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Spirit consolidate at PIT, seeing as the only unique routes to LBE are seasonal service to Tampa, FL (TPA) and Ft. Myers, FL (RSW).
Conclusion
Having more choice is always great, and hopefully it causes Southwest and American to match fares out of Pittsburgh. Just remember that your Spirit fare isn’t what it seems until the you’ve navigated the fee obstacle course.
Header image courtesy of Alan Wilson.
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I am curious as well what will happen with LBE. I live between LBE and PIT but have never taken a Spirit flight. We go to Vegas frequently but they dropped the nonstops after a short stint at LBE. I am not a fan of the later flights either so we always do Southwest nonstops. Would have loved to have decent options out of LBE.
Doubt I’ll be taking the once a day Spirit out of PIT but maybe the additional flights will put some price pressure on Southwest (but I doubt it).