Discount Airline Spirit to Begin Atlanta Service

Aug. 26–Discount carrier Spirit Airlines plans to start Atlanta service this winter with two daily nonstop flights to its hub in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Spirit, which flies mostly from the Northeast to the Caribbean and Mexico, said Thursday it would offer flights from Atlanta to its Florida hub, with connecting flights to Cancun; Kingston and Montego Bay, Jamaica; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Nassau, Bahamas; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The move promises to add fare competition to those markets just as Delta Air Lines and AirTran Airways expand their Caribbean service.

Spirit’s Atlanta flights start Feb. 16, with introductory fares starting at $84 one-way for advance-purchase tickets to Fort Lauderdale, before taxes and fees, the airline said.

“Atlanta will be our 22nd city and a very strong addition to our route network. Atlanta is one of the largest markets in the country that we do not currently serve,” said Barry Biffle, Spirit Airlines’ chief marketing officer.

Earlier this month, Delta announced plans for two new Caribbean destinations and more flights to two others this fall as the ailing carrier hunts for new markets to boost lagging revenue.

AirTran plans new flights in December to Cancun from Atlanta and Tampa, its first foray into Mexico. The discount carrier’s only other international destination is Freeport, Bahamas.

Spirit, with 2,700 employees and 27 jets, recently ramped up its ambitions after Oaktree Capital Management and Goldman Sachs invested $100 million in the privately held airline.

Spirit, which ordered up to 85 new aircraft in 2004, said it would use the money to replace its fleet with new Airbus aircraft by early 2007.

The company, 51 percent owned by Oaktree Capital, reported $485 million in revenue last year, according to the federal Department of Transportation. That makes it a little under half as big as AirTran, which had revenue of $1.04 billion.

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