Spirit is dropping 37 routes from its network in a significant adjustment that targets Florida — see the full list
Spirit Airlines has temporarily cut 37 routes from its network starting in January.
Florida is being particularly impacted, with 26 of the lost routes touching the Sunshine State.
The airline is calling the cuts temporary, with plans to restore many of them in 2023.
Spirit Airlines is temporarily losing more than three dozen routes in its latest network adjustment.
Starting in January, the low-cost carrier will nix 37 routes from its map, including destinations in the US and abroad, according to Cirium data.
A Spirit spokesperson confirmed the news to Insider but said the carrier plans to bring most, if not all, back next year.
He further explained Spirit will receive 33 new planes next year, allowing the budget airline to add new routes and markets, like Norfolk, Virginia, in April.
The temporary cuts, which were first reported by Airline Weekly, target Florida in particular. Of the 37 slashed routes, 26 touch the Sunshine State, including Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Tampa, and Fort Myers. The latter saw devastation from Hurricane Ian in September.
Three cuts impact Miami, where Spirit announced a groundbreaking entry in October 2021 with 31 new routes. Despite the ambition in the city, the budget airline is losing flights from Atlantic City, New Jersey; Hartford, Connecticut; and Orlando.
A combination of inflation, air traffic control issues in Florida, and demand may be factors for Spirit's temporary cuts, The Points Guy reported.
Spirit CEO Ted Christie said in the company's Q3 quarterly earnings in October that the company had to "pull flying from the third quarter because of Florida ATC constraints." Other carriers like United Airlines have also blamed the FAA for ATC-related delays and cancellations.
Christie also explained slow aircraft deliveries have impacted Spirit.
"Putting it directly, we are seeing supply chain-related issues on aircraft deliveries and supply chain-related issues on engine manufacturing and engine overhaul, which is forcing us to take aircraft out of service.," he said.
Although Spirit is pulling some routes from Florida, Spirit EVP and CCO Matthew Klein said in the earnings call that "while we are seeing the constraints on our Florida network, we are able to reallocate that to other parts of the country."
Over the weekend, Spirit did add four routes to its network, including Charlotte to Dallas/Fort Worth and Nashville, Dallas/Fort Worth to Newark, New Jersey, and Los Angeles to Memphis, per Airline Weekly.
Spirit is not the only airline seeing cuts this year. American Airlines lost four routes in September, partially due to the ongoing pilot shortage. Meanwhile, Delta Airlines cut five routes in August, citing low demand in regional markets.
Here is the full list of Spirit's 37 temporarily dropped routes:
Baltimore to New Orleans
Baltimore to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Hartford, Connecticut
Fort Lauderdale to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Fort Lauderdale to Manchester, New Hampshire
Fort Lauderdale to Panama City, Panama
Fort Lauderdale to Louisville, Kentucky
Fort Lauderdale to St. Louis, Missouri
Fort Myers to Hartford, Connecticut
Fort Myers to Baltimore
Fort Myers to Cleveland, Ohio
Fort Myers to Columbus, Ohio
Fort Myers to Minneapolis
Fort Myers to Philadelphia
Fort Myers to St. Louis, Missouri
San Juan, Puerto Rico to Atlantic City
Houston to Denver
Houston to Guatemala City, Guatemala
Los Angeles to Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Orlando to Minneapolis
Orlando to San Salvador, El Salvador
Miami to Atlantic City, New Jersey
Miami to Hartford, Connecticut
Miami to Orlando
Philadelphia to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Philadelphia to New Orleans
Phoenix to Kansas City, Missouri
Phoenix to Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Phoenix to St. Louis, Missouri
Tampa, Florida to Hartford, Connecticut
Tampa to Boston
Tampa to Columbus, Ohio
Tampa to Newark, New Jersey
Tampa to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Tampa to Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Tampa to Minneapolis
Tampa to Philadelphia
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