Spirit Airlines rediscovers the Triangle, with new RDU flights to 5 cities in May
Spirit Airlines will begin flying nonstop between Raleigh-Durham International Airport and five cities starting in early May, reviving the low-cost carrier’s presence in the Triangle.
Spirit will fly to Baltimore, Dallas, Detroit, Newark and New Orleans starting May 8 and 9. The flights will operate two days a week, except for Newark, where the carrier will fly five days a week.
The expansion at RDU comes as Spirit revamps its operations after emerging from bankruptcy protection earlier this month. Losing money and weighted by debt, the Florida-based carrier filed for Chapter 11 in November, after a proposed merger with JetBlue Airways fell through largely because of anti-trust concerns raised by the U.S. Justice Department.
Spirit also began merger talks with Frontier Airlines in 2022, and turned down another offer from the carrier this winter.
Spirit, known for its bright yellow planes, debuted in the Triangle in 2019, with nonstop flights to seven cities. The airline served nearly 370,000 RDU passengers that year, despite missing the first four months.
But the carrier cut back drastically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Spirit currently flies only between RDU and its hub in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and served 148,540 RDU passengers last year.
Spirit Airlines’ competition at RDU
Spirit will have competition on all five of its new destinations from RDU, both from legacy carriers and low-cost airlines such as Breeze and Frontier. Four of the airports are hubs for other airlines: Southwest in Baltimore; American in Dallas; Delta in Detroit and United in Newark.
In a statement, Spirit’s vice president of network planning, John Kirby, said the airline thinks of the Triangle as a destination as well.
“This expansion provides additional travel choices for Raleigh-area residents and invites guests from across our network to experience the vibrant culture and attractions of Raleigh,” Kirby said.
Spirit is one of several low-cost carriers that have started doing business at RDU in recent years. American and Delta still dominate the market, but Southwest, Frontier and start-ups Avelo and Breeze now carry nearly a quarter of passengers to and from the Triangle.
This story was originally published March 26, 2025 at 8:42 AM with the headline "Spirit Airlines rediscovers the Triangle, with new RDU flights to 5 cities in May."
