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Spirit Airlines adds its 7th city in California: San Jose

Feb. 16, 2023
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3 min read
Spirit Airlines Planes
Spirit Airlines adds its 7th city in California: San Jose
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Spirit Airlines' yellow Airbus jets will soon land in Silicon Valley.

The Miramar, Florida-based carrier announced Thursday that it's adding a brand-new route map pin in San Jose, California, starting June 7.

At the outset, Spirit will fly three routes from Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) to Las Vegas, Dallas-Fort Worth and San Diego.

Service to Vegas will operate twice daily, while the other two routes will fly once a day.

San Jose will become Spirit's seventh airport served in California, joining the six existing destinations listed below:

  • Burbank.
  • Los Angeles.
  • Oakland.
  • Orange County.
  • Sacramento.
  • San Diego.
SPIRIT

Spirit's entrance in San Jose is exciting because it reflects a broader shift in the return of leisure travel to an aviation market that was hit hard by the pandemic.

The airport lost much of its international service at the outset of the pandemic, and Spirit's biggest no-frills competitor, Frontier Airlines, even pulled out of the city in September 2021.

Additionally, Delta Air Lines decided during the pandemic that it would drop San Jose as a focus city, which included cutting its key transcontinental flight to New York.

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Now, Spirit's entrance will make it the only ultra-low-cost carrier serving San Jose, which should bring lower fares to the routes that the airline will serve.

“Today’s announcement is a step forward for our Airport, our City, and for air travel in our region,” John Aitken, director of aviation for SJC, said in a statement. “This new partnership reflects a return to leisure travel and demonstrates how aviation markets are shifting to expand toward new opportunities and approaches. We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome the Spirit Airlines team to San Jose and to offer their unique and innovative brand at SJC," he added.

Notably, Spirit isn't adding any new "lines" to SJC's route map. Spirit will go up against Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines on its new intra-California route. Southwest also flies from San Jose to Las Vegas, while American Airlines has historically enjoyed a monopoly on the route between San Jose and Dallas-Fort Worth.

That said, the carrier is coming in with some attractive introductory fares, starting at $39 to Las Vegas, $59 to San Diego and $89 to Dallas-Fort Worth. It will be interesting to see how Spirit's competitors respond.

Related reading:

Featured image by ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

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  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
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  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
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  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
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