Spirit Airlines is expanding again with new service to Manchester, New Hampshire, the latest destination for the budget carrier.
New Spirit Airlines Manchester Service
Starting this autumn, Spirit Airlines will launch service to Manchester (MHT) from four Florida cities, including:
- Fort Lauderdale
- Fort Myers
- Orlando
- Tampa
The new service will launch according to the following schedule:
|
Destination |
Frequency |
Launch Date |
|
Fort Lauderdale (FLL) |
Daily | Oct. 7, 2021 |
|
Orlando (MCO) |
Daily | Oct. 7, 2021 |
|
Fort Myers (RSW) |
4X Weekly |
Nov. 17, 2021 |
| Tampa (TPA) | 3X Weekly |
Nov. 18, 2021 |
Matt Klein, Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer for Spirit Airlines, noted:
“We can’t wait to welcome guests from around Manchester onboard and show them why Spirit is the best value in the sky. We looked closely at what New Hampshire travelers want, and we saw a great opportunity to give them easy access to some great vacation destinations. We look forward to partnering with the community to kick off service, strengthening our local ties and adding more flights in the years to come.”
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu praised the news, indirectly calling on residents to be loyal to Manchester instead of traveling to Boston for flights:
“The residents of New Hampshire have been patiently waiting for a new airline, and we’re excited to announce that Spirit Airlines is coming to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. Now’s our time to take advantage of these new routes and low fares and keep New Hampshire dollars in New Hampshire. We look forward to a successful launch and seeing Spirit grow their options from MHT in the future. So shop local—and fly local from MHT!”
Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig’s statement was more corporate:
“Spirit’s investment in our community will open new destinations for Granite Staters and allow more travelers to experience all Manchester and New Hampshire has to offer.”
CONCLUSION
Spirit’s amazing growth this year is a testament to surging U.S. domestic demand but also presents a warning: historically, we’ve seen other carriers suffer from expanding too far too fast. It’s too early to tell if that is the case here, but Spirit’s recent rapid expansion in Miami and now Manchester point to a very aggressive growth strategy.
image: Spirit – New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu speaks at a ceremony welcoming Spirit Airlines to Manchester Airport (MHT)
I was at the event and took note of Klein’s comment about more flights in the future. This stands in stark contrast to Southwest at MHT, which now has roughly half as many flights (6) as it did on inaugural day in 1998 (12). The key to future growth for Spirit at MHT is for these first four routes to do well…and they will. The demographics of the market with respect to income levels, business growth, and population gains will be key to these future flights. And in my view those flights should be more East-west focused. Despite its appeal for New Englanders, the whole world doesn’t revolve around Florida.
At this rate of expansion in another two years we will all be dressed like Minions and flying Spirit everywhere. Good thing my name is Stuart.
Seems like every other airline left Manchester which used to be very busy, good move by Spirit.