Spirit to add a Ft. Lauderdale-Lima Route?

Good afternoon. RT here. I just about creamed in my pants when I read this in yesterday's paper:

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[FONT=Verdana,Arial, Helvetica] http://www.sun-sentinel.com/busines...,0,2420484.story?coll=sfla-business-headlines [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana,Arial, Helvetica]AIRLINES[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial, Helvetica][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Spirit wants to add Peru flights[/FONT] [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial, Helvetica]Nonstops would leave daily from Fort Lauderdale[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial, Helvetica]By Glenn Singer
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

February 24, 2007

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[FONT=Verdana,Arial, Helvetica]Miramar-based Spirit Airlines wants to fly to Peru from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport with daily nonstops to Lima and Chiclayo. Service could begin as early as May if U.S. and Peruvian officials approve the plan.

Spirit also has asked the U.S. Department of Transportation for permission to serve Trinidad and Tobago in the southern Caribbean with nonstops from Fort Lauderdale -- an extension of the airline's goal to serve much of the region at lower fares than its competitors.

"We've been considering Peru for about two years. Looking at the passenger traffic alone, this is one of the largest potential markets we don't serve," said Barry Biffle, Spirit's chief marketing officer.

While three airlines fly from Miami to Lima, fares are high and seats sometimes hard to get, Biffle said, noting there are some 20,000 Peruvians in Broward County who might use the proposed route.

"We've found that providing lower-priced seats encourages a lot of people to fly, many for the first time," Biffle said. He said that could be the case with Peruvian residents who otherwise could not afford to travel between their country and the United States.

Spirit envisions daily, low-fare service to Lima, using one of its new Airbus A319 aircraft with 144 seats, according to its application. The company will not specify fares until it receives at least U.S. approval.

The decision to fly to Chiclayo on the northern coastal plain of Peru is a bit of a gamble because there are no direct flights between that city and South Florida and no firm way to determine what passenger traffic would be. Now, fliers headed to Chiclayo must stop in Lima first.

Chiclayo, which is Peru's fourth-largest city, has 2 million people within a three-hour drive, and that holds great potential for nonstop service to the United States, Biffle said. Initially, flights would be once or twice a week and would begin in June or July.

Spirit received U.S. approval in November to fly to Caracas, Venezuela, as its first South American destination. Approval by Venezuelan authorities is pending, and the airline has not set a start date for service from Fort Lauderdale.

The airline's plan to fly to Trinidad and Tobago projects one flight a day during the summer and perhaps a flight on three or four days a week during other times of the year. If approved, service could begin in mid-May, Biffle said.

Glenn Singer can be reached at [email protected] or 561-243-6612.

[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana,Arial, Helvetica] Copyright © 2007, South Florida Sun-Sentinel [/FONT]


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A lowfare airline AND I don't have to schlep down to Miami? I have died and gone to heaven!

 

RT here. They recently added a Ft. Lauderdale - Santo Domingo route, and I can confirm that they suck as well.

It's a shame -- I was happy with the option, but not happy enough to let them ruin my trips.

 

I'd rather take a shitty flight to Lima than not go to Lima at all.

Have fun; report back.

 

RT here. I just completed my most recent trip to Lima on Spirit. It was my first time on this route. Amazingly, I didn't hate every second.

By the time I was done paying for bags and the Big Front Seat, the price was comparable to the sale prices on Lan and Copa (when you can grab them).

The big plus for me was that it left from Ft. Lauderdale, so it was a 10-minute cab ride from my house. Check-in on both ends went quickly, and the flights were more or less on time.

The down sides were that I was 0nly allowed one bag (couldn't pay for a second checked bag, even if I wanted), and it was limited to 40 pounds. I assumed that it was the standard 50 pound allowance, so they got me for an additional $25 each way.

The 0nly other scummy thing they did (aside from charging for water), was constantly trying to sell me Group 2 plane access. I kept turning it down, and it turned out that when you buy a Big Front Seat, it comes with Group 2 access. So they were trying to sell me something I already had purchased.

As an extra bonus, I Uber-ed both ways from the airport, and that went well, too.