Salt Lake City’s formerly overcrowded airport was not only inconvenient for passengers, but it limited airline operations as well. There just wasn’t enough space for any more flights to land.
That all changed with the debut of The New SLC, the $4.5 billion airport rebuild project that opened its first new terminal in September 2020. And that made room for more airline operations.
The first air carrier to launch new operations in Salt Lake City was announced last week. Florida-based Spirit Airlines will begin flights at Salt Lake City International Airport this spring. Spirit will initially have daily, nonstop routes to Las Vegas; Los Angeles; and Orlando, Florida. The new service marks the first time Spirit will serve the state of Utah,
“We listen to our guests and they told us they wanted more exciting western destinations to experience the great outdoors. This spring is a great time to launch service to Salt Lake City, ‘The Crossroads of the West,’” said John Kirby, vice president of network planning for Spirit Airlines, at a ceremony announcing the new service. “We’re also excited to introduce our high-value travel proposition for our new Utah guests looking for convenient nonstop flights to some of the nation’s most popular leisure destinations.”
The new routes serving Salt Lake City will launch on May 26, with daily flights to and from Los Angeles and Orlando and twice-daily flights serving Las Vegas. Salt Lake City will be Spirit’s 53th destination in the U.S. and 86th worldwide.
Kirby said the Utah flights will feature Spirit’s Fit Fleet airplanes for fuel efficiency; cabin interiors with ergonomically designed seats, more usable legroom and Spirit’s unique Big Front Seat; and Wi-Fi service that allows passengers to watch content from streaming services. He said that Spirit currently operates 170 aircraft and will grow its fleet to 350 planes over the next five years.
