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3w ago

Frontier Targets Spirit With 20 New Routes, $29 Intro Fares

The expansion zeroes in on Spirit’s core markets after the rival warned it may not stay solvent within a year.

Frontier Airlines planes are parked at the boarding gates at Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Florida, U.S., July 19, 2024. REUTERS/Octavio Jones/File Photo
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Overview

  • Frontier unveiled 20 routes launching from late 2025 into early 2026 from hubs including Fort Lauderdale, Detroit, Houston, Baltimore, Charlotte and Dallas, with limited weekly frequencies.
  • Introductory one-way fares start at $29 on select routes, with examples including Fort Lauderdale–Detroit/Chicago/Charlotte/Houston and Houston–Guatemala City/San Pedro Sula/New Orleans.
  • Frontier and Spirit overlap on roughly 35% of capacity, and Frontier says the additions support its push to be the top low‑fare carrier in major U.S. metros alongside new loyalty-matching and product upgrades.
  • Spirit disclosed a going‑concern warning on Aug. 11, posted a $245.8 million Q2 loss, drew its full $275 million revolver, agreed to higher credit‑card holdbacks, and is cutting flying and furloughing pilots.
  • Frontier’s CEO said most of the new markets are currently served by Spirit and projected Frontier would capture a majority of Spirit’s share if the carrier fails, with only two new Houston routes not on Spirit’s map.