Spirit Airlines Adding Crew Bases in Miami and Atlanta
Spirit Airlines announced the addition of new pilot and flight attendant bases at Miami International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Once completed and open to the public this summer, the low-cost carrier will boast a total of nine crew bases across its network. The Spirit will initially move more than 100 pilots and 200 flight attendants to each base, with additional crew, supervisors and support functions coming later in the year.
In Miami, the low-cost carrier offered 30 nonstop domestic and international routes from the airport in January, while the company currently operates nonstop flights from Atlanta to 19 destinations.
“We’re always evaluating our network to find opportunities to improve our operational performance as our flight options continue to expand, and these new crew bases are reasons to celebrate because our guests, team members and communities all win,” Spirit Chief Operating Officer John Bendoraitis said.
“We’re adding jobs and increasing staffing at stations with a high concentration of flight activity,” Bendoraitis continued. “We will have better access to large metropolitan centers for talent recruitment and Spirit team members gain attractive new home base options and additional commuting opportunities.”
The new crew facilities will complement Spirit’s existing crew bases in Atlantic City, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas and Orlando.
Earlier this week, the airline announced the addition of new daily flights between Orlando and Ponce, Puerto Rico. The service between Mercedita International Airport and Orlando International Airport marks the carrier’s third destination in Puerto Rico, joining San Juan and Aguadilla.
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.