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Spirit adds a new city to its route map as it expands in Puerto Rico

Zach Griff
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Zach Griff is a senior reporter at TPG. He writes travel and product reviews, deep dives into loyalty programs, news about the airline industry and more.
Oct. 14, 2021
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2 min read
Spirit Airlines Planes
Spirit adds a new city to its route map as it expands in Puerto Rico
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The network expansion continues for Spirit Airlines on Thursday.

The Miramar, Florida-based carrier just unveiled its newest route-map pin, Ponce, Puerto Rico, with once-daily flights from Orlando (MCO) that will launch Feb. 16, 2022.

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Unlike many of Spirit's other new cities, this one will only be connected by a single route, though the airline is marketing 14 one-stop itineraries from departure points that connect through Orlando and onwards to Ponce.

"Our new nonstop flights to Orlando provide connectivity to many high-value travel options for flying in and out of Ponce, along with serving the vibrant and growing Puerto Rican community in Central Florida," John Kirby, the airline's vice president of network planning, said in a statement.

Adding service to the Mercedita International Airport (PSE) in Ponce joins Spirit's two other existing Puerto Rico destinations, San Juan and Aguadilla.

The airline will face off with rival JetBlue Airways, which already operates at least once daily flights from Orlando to Ponce, as well as spring and summer seasonal flights from New York-JFK, according to Cirium schedules.

No other U.S. airline aside from JetBlue currently serves Ponce.

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For Spirit, adding Ponce is seemingly about connecting this Puerto Rican city to its broader U.S. network, as opposed to specifically bringing tourists to the island. The airline's press release doesn't just tout the one-stop connectivity, but it also highlights the "easy connections to dozens of destinations via Orlando."

While the Puerto Rico growth is noteworthy as a new dot to the airline's map, it's not the biggest network expansion we've seen from Spirit in recent months.

Just last week, the carrier inaugurated its first-ever flights to Miami, with a whopping 31 routes taking off throughout the winter, making the airline the second-largest in the city after American Airlines.

New Ponce flight schedule

Spirit Flight 3029 PSE-MCO 4:28 a.m. — 6:29 a.m.

Spirit Flight 3028 MCO-PSE 11:45 p.m. — 3:34 a.m. (+1 day)

Featured image by (Photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy)
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