April 16--Spirit Airlines, a carrier known for low base fares and a la carte fees, began operating numerous new routes in its network on Thursday, including two new ones at O'Hare International Airport.
From Chicago, Spirit added new daily routes to Philadelphia and San Diego, while resuming seasonal daily service to Boston, Atlantic City, N.J., and Portland, Ore.
"We expect to keep expanding our service by adding new destinations that will allow more people to visit places they otherwise couldn't afford," said Mark Kopczak, Spirit vice president of network planning.
Last month, the airline said it would add service May 7 to a small airport in Latrobe, Pa., near Pittsburgh.
Spirit is known for low fares, in addition to tight seats and add-on fees, including for carry-on luggage that must be stowed in the overhead compartment.
Spirit is facing new direct competition from another ultralow discount airline, Frontier, which has made an aggressive push into the Chicago market. Frontier formerly operated limited flights out of Midway airport but has transitioned flights and added new ones to O'Hare, taking on Spirit head-to-head in the deep-discount market.
gkarp@tribpub.com
