While JetBlue plants eleven new flags in Fort Lauderdale, Frontier just quietly took Spirit’s most overlooked Caribbean prize. Almost nobody noticed.
Passenger volume mattered more than the route count. DOT origin-and-destination data shows Spirit moved well over a million passengers per year between San Juan and the US mainland in recent years, behind only American and ahead of every other US carrier on the route bank. JetBlue was a distant runner-up. When Spirit ceased operations, those passengers did not disappear. They needed a carrier that could match Spirit’s fare ceiling.
Where Spirit had an advantage was in larger operations in cities like New York (LaGuardia), Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale. Frontier also flies into Tampa, but split some traffic with Sarasota. With these routes serving less-connected Frontier markets, will the carrier be able to hold the line or will it exit some of these markets from San Juan?
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
