Spirit resumes flights from PBIA with jaunts to Atlantic City
Discount carrier Spirit Airlines is renewing a wager that gamblers and other South Floridians will again fly to Atlantic City this winter from Palm Beach International Airport.
The Miramar-based airline plans to resume service on Thursday to the New Jersey gambling Mecca, which is home to nine casinos as well as sport betting, the latter of which is still illegal in Florida.
“We have a nearly 20-year history of offering low-fares and convenient options to Palm Beach travelers and we can’t wait to welcome them back onboard Florida’s hometown airline,” said John Kirby, the airline’s vice president of network planning, in a statement. “This service offers the only nonstop option to Atlantic City and delivers the affordable fares and signature service they’ve come to know us for.”
Spirit is the only airline flying directly into Atlantic City, an airport spokeswoman said.
American Airlines flies from West Palm Beach to Philadelphia, where Atlantic City-bound passengers take a luxury bus to their final destination. Sun Country is planning to start flights to Atlantic City from Minneapolis on May 1, 2023.
Spirit’s flights to Atlantic City mark the airline’s return to the West Palm Beach airport, after a service hiatus that began in late June. This year, Spirit served only Atlantic City from the airport, but has previously flown to other Northeast cities over the years, said spokeswoman Nicole Aguiar.
She said the route traditionally has been seasonal except for during 2021, when it ran all year. The renewed Atlantic City service will be offered through April 2023.
“We like what we’re seeing in terms of demand,” Aguiar said.
The service is also expected to attract seasonal visitors to South Florida from the southern New Jersey area.
As an incentive for the latest Atlantic City flights, the airline is offering $50 one-way fares for travel between Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022 and Feb. 15, 2023. But tickets must be purchased 14 days in advance and may not be used for travel on Fridays and Sundays.
The airline currently operates Atlantic City flights from South Florida out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Sports betting incentive
The resumption of service from Palm Beach International comes at a time when Atlantic City gambling industry promoters are trying to draw more people to the area’s casinos.
Last week, at a local conference of casino executives, promoters and analysts, many agreed that sports betting should be emphasized to woo customers, according to The Press of Atlantic City.
New Jersey legalized sports betting in 2018 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act.
