Spirit Airlines doubles down on Kansas City with 4 new routes and expanded service

Kansas City is the big winner in Spirit Airlines' latest network adjustment.

On Thursday, the Miramar, Florida-based carrier announced that it will add four routes from Missouri's Kansas City International Airport (MCI) to the following destinations in Florida:

• Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
• Fort Myers (RSW)
• Pensacola (PNS)
• Tampa (TPA)

Service to Tampa begins on June 9, while flights to the remaining three Florida cities begin one day later on June 10.

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Spirit will serve its Fort Lauderdale hub with daily flights, while the remaining three routes range from three- to four-weekly frequencies. By offering daily service to FLL, Spirit can connect flyers to the broad international network it flies from there.

"Fort Lauderdale is Spirit’s largest gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America, which means nonstop flights from MCI come with easy connections to countries and territories throughout Latin America and the Caribbean," Spirit said in its press release.

In addition to the new routes, Spirit will also boost existing Kansas City routes, doubling its capacity at MCI compared to 2019.

Flights to Orlando (MCO) and Las Vegas (LAS) will both go from 1x daily to 2x daily, while service to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (MYR), will go from 2x to 3x weekly.

Spirit's growth in Kansas City comes as the carrier is seeing increased demand for air travel, especially from local flyers looking for an adventure. In recent weeks, pandemic-weary travelers have taken to the skies in numbers previously unseen since early 2020.

For many, the destination of choice has been Florida, so if the trend continues, it makes sense for Spirit to add flights there. In fact, Pensacola is one of Spirit's newest destinations, opening for the airline on June 10 with eight routes. It'll have nine with the Kansas City addition, a sign that travelers are still looking to relax in the Florida panhandle.

More growth: Spirit Airlines adds 2 new cities in 12-route expansion

"Our Kansas City Guests told us they’re ready to get out and travel as vaccination efforts continue, and we’re responding with an unbeatable list of options stretching from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale,” John Kirby, Spirit's vice president of network planning, said in a statement.

Despite the pandemic, Spirit's network has undergone a growth spurt. The carrier has added new pins to its route map, including Milwaukee (MKE); Louisville, Kentucky (SDF); Pensacola (PNS); and St. Louis (STL).

Spirit has also boosted flights to New York LaGuardia (LGA), where it just moved into a second terminal. The carrier is also slated to launch a Saturday-only transcon LGA to LAX route — poised to become LGA's longest — in the coming weeks.