by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:05 AM ET, Wed March 2, 2022
Spirit Airlines announced the addition of new daily flights between Orlando and Ponce, Puerto Rico.
The service between Mercedita International Airport and Orlando International Airport marks Spirit's third destination in Puerto Rico, joining San Juan and Aguadilla. The airline flew its first route to Puerto Rico in 2001 when it inaugurated service to San Juan, and later launched flights to Aguadilla in 2007.
Orlando is one of the low-cost carrier's largest airport operations with around 80 flights each day, which now connects Ponce with 28 cities across Spirit's route map. The airline is the second-largest serving the Florida airport by seats.
"Our new nonstop flights between Ponce and Orlando provide both Puerto Rican and Floridian travelers with convenient and affordable ways to visit friends and relatives," Spirit Chief Commercial Officer Matt Klein said. "It also provides convenient access to the theme parks in Orlando as well as the historical and cultural attractions along Puerto Rico's southern coast."
Adding Ponce will provide the carrier's customers with eight nonstop route choices for travel between airports throughout Florida and Puerto Rico. Spirit also announced the launch of nonstop service from Aguadilla to Philadelphia on April 20.
"We pride ourselves on supporting commercial and tourism ties between Ponce and other eastern cities of the United States," Puerto Rico Ports Authority Executive Director Joel Piza Batiz said. "We are grateful for Spirit's contribution on widening the scope of flights available to the people of Puerto Rico, especially for those living in the south of the island."
Last month, Frontier Airlines announced it would purchase Spirit as part of a $2.9 billion deal to create America's fifth-largest carrier. The cash-and-stock deal is valued at $6.6 billion when accounting for the assumption of debt and other liabilities, with the merger designed to help the low-cost airlines compete with the "Big Four" carriers in the United States.
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