Spirit Airlines Lands at MHT
Governor Chris Sununu joined airport director Ted Kitchens and others during a press conference on Wednesday for a very special announcement; a new airline will soon be landing at MHT. This is the first new airline to add Manchester since 2004 and a welcome sight during travel recovery.
Spirit Airlines will be touching down in the Granite State this October with nonstop service to four Florida destinations. Daily service to Ft. Lauderdale (FLL – Miami area) and Orlando (MCO) begins on October 7th. Fort Myers and Tampa begin service later in November.
Tickets are on sale now at Spirits’ website.
| Destination: | Flights Available: | Launch Date: |
| Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | Daily | Oct. 7, 2021 |
| Orlando (MCO) | Daily | Oct. 7, 2021 |
| Fort Myers (RSW) | 4X Weekly | Nov. 17, 2021 |
| Tampa (TPA) | 3X Weekly | Nov. 18, 2021 |
These flights will also provide competition to Southwest who already operates daily service to Tampa and Orlando. New service on these routes will give Granite State vacationers more options and hopefully some lower prices.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome Spirit Airlines to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport,” said Airport Director Ted Kitchens, A.A.E. at the press conference held in the airport check-in area. “Residents of New Hampshire have stated time and time again they wanted lower fares and more flights out of MHT, and Spirit has delivered! The low fares to popular vacation destinations in Florida and beyond that Spirit provides are exactly what the community is looking for as they take to the skies.”
A word on ULCCs
Spirit is the first ULCC, or Ultra Low-Cost Carrier, to operate at Manchester. They operate under an ‘a la carte’ model where tickets are offered at a low price and all ‘frills’ are extra. This means you will be paying a surcharge to select a seat, bring checked or carry-on bags, etc. If you are use to flying with the other airlines out of Manchester this business model will be new for you. Their ‘only pay for what you want’ approach extends to food and drinks onboard as well. You can absolutely just pay for the ticket, but be aware that for a lot of people the ticket price is not the final price.
The most noticeable difference is in bags. You are allowed a personal item, i.e. a backpack, that fits under the seat. Duffel or roller bags that go in the bin are not included with the base ticket. You can add bag options when booking your ticket.
