LONDON – United States Low-Cost Carrier Spirit, are embarking on a new journey by offering flights from Norfolk in West Virginia, to the sunshine state of Florida. Orlando (MCO) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL) will see daily services both to and from Norfolk (ORF), starting early March of 2023.
A gateway to Florida
Spirit Airlines’ bright yellow planes will be the newest addition at Norfolk’s ramp, as they now open two routes from the Western Virginia city, to two new Florida cities, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale in early March 2023.
Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Spirit, Bobby Schroeter, commented on the new routes saying: “It’s great to bring More Go to Norfolk with daily, nonstop flights to a fun pair of locations in Florida, with exciting options for connections to Latin America and the Caribbean,”
“Our Norfolk Guests will love our Signature Service combined with our affordable fares, and our Florida Guests will enjoy the historical attractions, museums and festivals that Coastal Virginia has to offer.”
The new routes from Spirit create not only great gateways to Florida but also offer great connectivity to Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, as well as multiple other interational destinations.
Norfolk marks itself as Spirit’s second airport served in West Virginia, with Richmond (RIC) where they started operations in 2018, being the first one.
Mark Perryman, Norfolk Airport Authority President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “Spirit Airlines’ decision to enter southeastern Virginia via Norfolk International Airport is a sign of confidence in our region,”
CEO Mark Perryman continues on by further adding:- “Passenger demand hit all-time records this summer and 2022 is on a path to be the highest year in the airport’s 84-year history. Spirit’s new service from Norfolk to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, two of our largest markets, will be very well received within the community and we anticipate robust growth.”
Spirit Airlines Service Expansions
In 2022 alone, new routes haven’t been a rare announcement from the Low-Cost Carrier, as they’ve launched and inaugurated multiple routes this year, with the latest before Norfolk being serviced between Connecticut and Jamaica.
However, the new routes Spirit has announced this year don’t come close to their most interesting announcement so far, as they just two months ago confirmed they will be merging with carrier JetBlue (B6), forming the 5th largest airline in the entire United States.
The merger will open up markets for 77 million customers across 1,700+ daily flights spread across 125 destinations in 30 countries, based on JetBlue’s schedules for December of 2022.
However, although the merge is confirmed by both airlines, they are subject to approvals from U.S. authorities before they can initiate the process of merging
Overall
As Spirit continues to open more gateways within the less serviced regions in the United States, the most exciting part is of course to see how long the route and services will last. As mentioned, the services enable gateways for more international travel, for those who plan on going that far.
Whether these routes will remain operative if and when the JetBlue merger gets approved, remains to be seen. However, Spirit is currently eyeing the market and hoping for the best before the merger permission is received.
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