While Spirit Airlines (SAVE) launched in 2003 and expanded fast with its model of offering rock-bottom prices for flights between both large and smaller U.S. cities, the airline has been significantly slower to move toward low-cost international routes of the sort that EasyJet (EJTTF) and Ryanair (RYAOF) run between nearby European countries.
Spirit is yet to enter the Canadian market while the bulk of its international flights are between the U.S. and popular tropical destinations such as Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Bahamas.
Related: I just flew Spirit for the first time ever — here’s what it was like
This week, the budget airline announced that it would be expanding its service to the Central American nation of Costa Rica with a flight between San José and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston starting from March 6.
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'Gateway to all the beautiful places to visit in Costa Rica...'
"San José is the gateway to all the beautiful places to visit in Costa Rica, and this new route will open up new travel opportunities for U.S guests to enjoy Pura Vida," Spirit VP of Route Planning John Kirby said in a statement to travel magazine Travel + Leisure.
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica while San José Mineta International Airport (SJO) is the base through which tourists often pass on their way to the various resorts along the country's coasts.
The new flight is a daily route that will take off from Houston at 2:40 p.m. and arrive in San José just under four hours later at 5:35 p.m. local time every day.
While the flight is not yet available to book on Spirit's website, similar routes to San José from cities such as Las Vegas can be booked for around $150 (even if the low-cost business model relies on making up for the difference through additional fees for things like baggage and seat selection.)
Cost Rica looks to 'increase frequencies and establish direct connections' for Americans
The need for this particular route was worked out both by Spirit seeing increased interest in Costa Rica among American travelers and working with the country's Ministry of Tourism to promote the country as a vacation destination.
"It is the institution's commitment to maintain ongoing negotiations with airlines to increase frequencies and establish direct connections to U.S. cities hosting the largest number of potential tourists extremely interested in traveling to Costa Rica," Costa Rica's Minister of Tourism said in a statement.
Over the last few years, Spirit has increased its efforts to become known not just as the airline for low-cost travel between mainland U.S. cities but as the carrier to use for an affordable vacation.
In January 2024, the airline's single most popular route was a flight between Florida's Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson International Airport (ATL) while other flights to Mexican resort cities like Cancun also see high traffic numbers.
Spirit has also been preparing to launch a new route to the ancient Mayan town of Tulum in the spring but those plans were derailed by a recall of the Pratt & Whitney engines used in the Airbus A321neo (EADSF) planes Spirit had slated for the flight.
The airline is not able to confirm a date when the flight will be able to launch while those who have already purchased the tickets when Spirit was promoting the new route have been offered refunds.
