Another airline is setting up shop at the Jacksonville International Airport (JIA).
Spirit Airlines announced Wednesday it will begin nonstop daily service from JIA to Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Detroit Metro Airport.
“We are so proud to be expanding service once again right here in the Sunshine State to my hometown of Jacksonville,” said Laurie Villa, Spirit Airlines’ Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer in an email to WJCT News.
The new service will start on December 20.
“Their arrival means more low fares for the Jacksonville community,” said Steve Grossman, Chief Executive Officer of the Jacksonville Aviation Authority in a news release.
Jacksonville marks Spirit’s 69th destination, and the sixth in Florida. Spirit Airlines also flies out of Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Tampa and West Palm Beach.
Spirit’s expansion comes as passenger traffic at JIA grows. In April the airport hit a new all-time April high with 545,386 passengers arriving and departing, a 13.55 percent increase over April 2017.
Spirit Airlines, which is headquartered in Miramar, Fla., flies to U.S. cities in addition to the Caribbean, Mexico, Latin America and South America.
Frontier Airlines has also been expanding at JIA this year, adding flights to seven cities from Jacksonville this year.
JIA is also working on a new $1 million lounge for passengers that is scheduled to open early next year.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
