Miami-Dade County and Spirit Airlines officials hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Miami International Airport on Oct. 6 to celebrate the launch of first-ever Miami service by Spirit. With service to 82 destinations across 15 countries throughout the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean, Spirit is one of the busiest airlines in the U.S.
“Spirit Airlines is America's only major airline headquartered in South Florida, and welcoming them to our airport is extremely special," says Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. "We proudly welcome the significant investment of flights, jobs and business revenue that Spirit is bringing to MIA and to Miami-Dade County, and we are excited to see the company grow as they offer more travel options to our residents and visitors."
Spirit began serving nine destinations from MIA on Oct. 6, which will be followed by 22 more destinations being added in November and January, for a total of 31 cities served from MIA: 20 domestic and 11 international. Spirit’s full schedule will immediately make it one of MIA’s busiest passenger carriers, and it has hired more than 200 new employees for the MIA launch. The carrier is also supporting the expansion with 16 brand new fuel-efficient Airbus A320neo planes being delivered this year.
“We are immensely grateful for Spirit’s decision to not only expand to MIA, but with a sizeable presence of service to 31 cities,” said Ralph Cutié, MIA director and CEO. “With more than 200 weekly flights by January, Spirit will instantly become one of our busiest passenger airlines, giving our travelers even more options for flying to and from Miami-Dade County.”
Spirit continues to garner awards and recognition in 2021. Spirit is one of only three U.S. airlines listed on FORTUNE's 2021 list of World's Most Admired Companies, which measures companies with the strongest reputation within their industries. The carrier is a Gold Stevie Award winner for its groundbreaking self-bag drop system with biometric photo matching, which speeds the check-in process and reduces face-to-face contact. Spirit also earned "Platinum" status in the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) Health Safety initiative powered by SimpliFlying.
"Launching nonstop flights to 31 destinations right out of the gate in Miami is a huge milestone for us, and we want to share all that excitement with our guests," said Ted Christie, president and CEO of Spirit Airlines. "We want our Free Spirit Loyalty winners to be able to choose their own destinations because flexibility is what we're providing in Miami — multiple daily flights that go all over the U.S. and stretch into South America. Combined with our flights from West Palm Beach and our position as the largest carrier in Fort Lauderdale, we're giving our guests more options in South Florida than ever."
