Spirit planning nonstop flights to San Antonio in November

Ultra-low discount air carrier Spirit Airlines will inaugurate service from San Antonio, Texas, in the fall, offering flights to two leisure destinations, Las Vegas and Orlando, Florida, beginning in November.

Spirit, the second-busiest commercial air carrier at Harry Reid International Airport behind Southwest Airlines, will begin daily service between Las Vegas and San Antonio International Airport on Nov. 17.

Spirit, the subject of a merger bidding war between Denver-based Frontier Airlines and New York-based JetBlue, flies twin-engine Airbus A319, A320 and A321 jets that hold between 145 and 235 passengers on its routes. From Las Vegas, it operates 69 daily flights to 38 nonstop destinations, according to Reid International records.

The move into San Antonio is part of a larger Texas expansion for the Miramar, Florida-based airline. The city will become the fourth destination Spirit has added in the Lone Star State after Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. Spirit recently strengthened its position in Texas by choosing Houston as the home of a new maintenance complex that includes two aircraft bays and ramp space for up to four aircraft, as well as warehouse, shops and office space.

“Our low fares and daily flights make it easy and more accessible for San Antonio families to discover these two world-class entertainment destinations,” said John Kirby, vice president of network planning at Spirit. “We are also excited to offer our current guests affordable access to the Alamo City to experience the attractions, rich history and vibrant culture that have earned it a top vacation destination ranking in Texas.”

Spirit is introducing the new route with introductory fares of $89 one way to and from Las Vegas from Nov. 30 through Dec. 14, with a Friday and Sunday exclusion. Tickets must be purchased 21 days in advance to be eligible.

Spirit will compete on the route with Las Vegas market leader Southwest, Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air and Frontier.

The ongoing merger battle between Frontier and JetBlue for Spirit began in February when Frontier made an initial offer to acquire the company. But despite Spirit management recommendations, shareholders have been reluctant to approve the Frontier deal because the JetBlue offer is higher.

Spirit on Wednesday announced that a shareholder vote on the Frontier deal, already delayed three times and most recently planned for Friday, has now been pushed back to July 27.

Frontier CEO Barry Biffle, in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday, said his airline is “very far” from winning the approval of Spirit shareholders. He’s asked for a delay in a shareholder vote, the fourth delay in the acquisition process.

According to Forbes magazine, Frontier’s latest offer of $4.13 per share plus 1.9 Frontier shares for each Spirit share still works out to roughly $1 billion less than JetBlue’s $3.7 billion package, which includes a $400 million break-up fee if the merger were to be blocked by regulators.

If either merger is approved, it would produce the fifth-largest airline in the United States.

Several routes, including the new San Antonio service, would be duplicated between Spirit and Frontier if the Frontier offer is accepted.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.