Spirit adds nonstop flights to Caribbean

Two months after it launched nonstop service to Jamaica, ultra low cost Spirit Airlines announced Wednesday it will offer a second nonstop route from Bradley International Airport to the Caribbean beginning in June.

Low-cost Spirit will launch nonstop service three times a week to San Juan, Puerto Rico, with the first flight on June 7.

Spirit is marketing promotional fares starting at $74 one-way for the flight from Bradley. All tickets must be purchased at least 14 days in advance of travel. There are no day of the week restrictions, but travel must take place between June 7 and Aug. 2. There are no blackout dates but fares are subject to availability.

John Kirby, vice president of network planning at Spirit, said the addition of the San Juan flight would build on the success of the launch on Dec. 15 of nonstop service to Montego Bay, Jamaica from Bradley.

“Spirit Airlines has been an important partner and key to our route network development strategy,” Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, which oversees operations at Bradley. “The addition of new, nonstop service to San Juan gives our passengers more opportunities to travel affordably.”

Spirit’s launch of a nonstop flight to Montego Bay, Jamaica capped a 15-year grassroots push for the service by the Hartford area’s Caribbean community, the fifth largest in the country.

According to Bradley’s website, Jetblue and Frontier now offer nonstop service to San Juan from Connecticut’s largest commercial airport.

Spirit is being acquired by Jetblue in a $3.8 billion deal announced last summer. The acquisition is facing opposition from federal regulators concerned the combination would create a monopoly among low-cost carriers. Jetblue argues the deal would provide stiffer competition for the larger airlines.

Initially, it was estimated that the Jetblue-spirit merger would be completed in the first half of 2024.