By the Caribbean Journal staff
Low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines has added another new route in the Caribbean to its quickly-growing regional portfolio.
Spirit has officially launched new nonstop flights to Cap Haitien, Haiti out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
The Fort Lauderdale-Cap-Haitien flights will operate three times per week, year round, according to the company.
This week, Spirit also expanded its Fort Lauderdale-Kingston flights, which are now running daily on a seasonal basis.
The new Haiti service is another boost for the country’s surging beach destination, Cap Haitien, which offers a sandy, relaxed alternative to bustling Port-au-Prince, which has traditionally received much of the island’s tourist traffic. (Spirit had already been operating flights to the capital).
The Hotel du Roi Christophe in Cap-Haitien.
Cap Haitien has been seeing a steady increase in airlift, following the launch of new flights by both American Airlines and Sunrise Airways in recent years, among others.
Spirit also announced that it would be returning to the island of St Maarten on May 5, launching weekly Saturday service that will operate year round.
“Spirit is proud to support the Caribbean with its recovery, having provided relief flights for more than 3,000 people and transported more than 120,000 pounds of relief supplies to date,” said Mark Kopczak, Spirit Vice President of Network Planning. “The courage and dedication of the people of the Caribbean has been more than impressive, and we are excited to bring more of our Guests there to enjoy all the islands have to offer.”
Spirit will also be adding a new nonstop route to St Croix on May 24, with thrice-weekly, year-round service operating out of Fort Lauderdale.
It’s all part of a rapid transformation of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood into one of the leading U.S. hubs for Caribbean travel, as more and more airlines, including JetBlue and Southwest have all been ramping up their regional operations there.