Starting in August, Spirit Airlines will offer daily service to Las Vegas, Nev., joining Albuquerque Sunport in offering such regular service.
City airline officials recently made the announcement, paving the way for Spirit to become the first new domestic air carrier offering service out of the Sunport in the last five years. While Spirit touts itself as a low-cost air carrier, officials added it’s unclear what average ticket prices will be.
“When we decide to enter a market, we’re committed to serving you,” Spirit Communications Director Erik Hofmeyer told KRQE. “It’s our intention to stay for the long run and grow, we hope Vegas is just the beginning, we hope to continue growing nonstop options for New Mexico residents.”
Spirit’s announcement comes after rival low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines announced plans to commence offering such services on May 12. Since then, Frontier announced it would seek to merge with Spirit.
Currently, the Sunport is served by all of the major air carriers, including Southwest, American, United and Delta airlines, which control about 80% of U.S. air travel.
Over the past several months, Sunport also has started offering new direct flights from several other carriers, among them services to Austin, Texas. Since the start of the year, Southwest also has announced pandemic-delayed plans for new service between Burbank, Calif., and Albuquerque.
In addition, Alaska Airlines now offers service out of the Sunport to Portland, Ore., and Seattle, while JetBlue offers overnight flights to New York City.