Spirit Adds Second Daily Flight to Major West Coast Destination
November 4, 2019
Spirit Airlines is adding more options for travelers flying from Pittsburgh International Airport this spring.
Beginning April 22, the Miramar, Fla.-based airline will add a second daily flight from PIT to Los Angeles International Airport. Currently, Spirit is the only carrier to offer nonstop service to LAX, as Southwest Airlines suspended its daily flight in June due to the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX 8.
The added frequency will offer travelers the option of a 6 a.m. EST departure as well as an evening flight from PIT at 5:30 p.m.
Additionally, Spirit will expand its service to Orlando International Airport this spring, offering a total of 15 nonstop flights per week from Pittsburgh. Changes include a third daily flight from PIT on Thursdays and Sundays and a third daily departure from MCO on Tuesdays and Sundays. (Southwest, Delta and Frontier also offer nonstop service to Orlando International Airport while Allegiant offers nonstop service to Orlando Sanford International Airport.)
The schedule extension will also see twice-daily flights to Ft. Lauderdale continue through June.
Bill Swelbar, research engineer with MIT’s International Center for Air Transportation, said Spirit’s decision to add a second flight shows the strength of the Pittsburgh market.
“Spirit has announced a second daily flight to Los Angeles that replaces that lost (Southwest) capacity,” Swelbar said. “If the market could not support the service, then Spirit would not be expanding the service. The Pittsburgh market continues to evolve into an origin-and-destination market. Having multiple West Coast services in place underscores the strength of the Pittsburgh local market.”
With the addition of new, nonstop service to Cancun beginning in February, the ultra low-cost carrier now offers flights to eight destinations from PIT. Routes also include Las Vegas; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Tampa, Fla.; and Ft. Myers, Fla.
Since launching service to Pittsburgh International Airport in 2017, Spirit has carried more than 1.3 million passengers.