Spirit Airlines, the no-frills carrier that so many love to hate and fly on anyway is adding Minneapolis and New Orleans cities to its Atlanta portfolio, bringing it to a total of 17 non-stop cities from the Georgia hub.
Starting in April, there will be one daily round-trip on each of the new routes. Both cities mean Spirit is trying to cut into business now dominated by Delta, with Southwest also in the mix. Spirit’s entry into a market often forces ticket prices down as they attract the most price-sensitive customers.
Delta has begun taking a more competitive stance against the “ultra low-cost” carriers, offering its own version of an unbundled fare. Delta calls it “Basic Economy,” and like Spirit’s fares, it comes with basically nothing but a seat, unless you buy extras. Delta has 11 daily roundtrips to Minneapolis and 14 to New Orleans.
