The carrier is relaunching flights on six nonstop international routes to Latin America and the Caribbean with flights to Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador. Spirit will also resume service to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico in January 2021.
Today (November 16, 2020), Spirit Airlines announced that in December they will restart international service between Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Latin America just in time for the holidays. The carrier will launch six nonstop routes to Colombia (Bogota and Cartagena), Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador. In January, Spirit will resume service to Aguadilla (BQN) Puerto Rico to complement existing service to San Juan (SJU) which operates up to five-times daily. In Monday’s announcement, Spirit Airlines’ Vice President of Network Planning, John Kirby, said,
“Holidays are the time to see family and friends, and we’re excited to offer so many nonstop international options from Central Florida. We’re the only major airline based in Florida, and the Orlando market is one of our largest gateways. We know how valuable it is for people to jump on a plane and fly nonstop to their destination without having to connect through a busy hub.”
Also commenting on Spirit’s restart of international flights from Orlando, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority’s Chief Executive Officer, Phil Brown, added,
“International service to Orlando International benefits the entire community and our tourism partners. We’re pleased Spirit is taking steps to rebuild that connectivity, including resuming service to international destinations currently suspended during the pandemic.”
Spirit began service at MCO in 1993 and in 2019 carried 2.6 million guests at MCO. The airline has become a major employer in Central Florida with 1,200 people in Orlando and support for a further 500 contractors. Spirit reactivated most of their domestic network from MCO in July and with the resumption of international flights in December, the carrier will serve 38 U.S., Latin American and Caribbean destinations, with an average of 53 daily flights.
Spirit Airlines has implemented a multi-layered safety approach that requires all guests and team members to wear facemasks and requires customers to agree to policies as part of a preflight health and safety acknowledgment. All aircraft are also equipped with state-of-the-art HEPA filters which capture 99.97 percent of airborne particulates as the cabin air is refreshed every three minutes. Additionally, the airline has introduced enhanced cleaning procedures where high-touch areas onboard the aircraft are cleaned with hospital-grade disinfectants between every flight. Spirit also uses two EPA-registered fogging treatments which apply a safe and high-grade disinfectant which is effective against COVID-19 as well as an antimicrobial product that forms an invisible barrier on surfaces which kills bacteria and viruses for 30 days.
Miramar, Florida-based low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines is committed to offering the best value in the sky with service to destinations in the US, Latin America and the Caribbean. The airline allows customers to select and pay for only the products and services they want, something they call “À La Smarte.” Spirit also operates one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient fleets in the US. The carrier proudly calls their youthful fleet of aircraft their “Fit Fleet®.”
Source: Spirit Airlines