With Spirit Dead, JetBlue Got FLL, Frontier Took San Juan

Key Points:

• JetBlue announced eleven new routes from Fort Lauderdale, increasing daily departures to about 130 and offering Spirit’s elite members status matches, filling service gaps left by Spirit’s collapse in South Florida.
• Spirit’s San Juan operation was the second largest Caribbean network among US carriers, moving over a million passengers annually between San Juan and the mainland, primarily serving the Puerto Rican diaspora with ultra-low fares.
• Frontier quietly expanded its San Juan service throughout the spring and quickly added flights to key destinations like Orlando and Fort Lauderdale after Spirit ceased operations, capturing price-sensitive customers with significantly lower fares than JetBlue.
• Despite JetBlue’s larger presence and higher pricing in San Juan, Frontier’s aggressive capacity growth and lower fares position it as a strong competitor for the Puerto Rican market, especially for travelers prioritizing cost over convenience or schedule.
• The expansion by Frontier in San Juan may have a larger long-term impact on Caribbean travelers than JetBlue’s high-profile Fort Lauderdale growth, highlighting shifting dynamics in the post-Spirit market landscape.