DALLAS — This story originally appeared in the Dallas Business Journal, a WFAA news partner.
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport will be one of three destinations served by Spirit Airlines Inc. when the ultra-low-cost carrier begins flying from San Jose, California, this summer.
Spirit announced Thursday it will launch a daily non-stop flight from San José Mineta International Airport to DFW starting June 7. The carrier will also begin twice-daily flights to Las Vegas and a daily flight to San Diego.
The flights out of DFW will launch at an introductory one-way fare of $89, excluding fees and additional charges.
Miramar, Florida-based Spirit (NYSE: SAVE) is the third-largest airline at DFW behind American Airlines Group Inc. and United Airlines Holdings Inc. The carrier operated 8,849 flights from DFW last year serving 19 destinations, according to flight data tracker Cirium. This summer, Spirit plans to fly a peak of 32 flights per day during the summer travel season, according to Cirium.
Those numbers will grow even higher with the additions of San Jose and San Juan, Puerto Rico, which Spirit also announced earlier this week it will begin serving from DFW this spring.
Spirit has been expanding at DFW as part of a plan to grow the number of flights it offers from the airport by 20% this spring. Spirit will serve three new non-stop routes from DFW starting in May to Newark, New Jersey; San Diego and Charlotte, North Carolina, another one of Fort Worth-based American's major hubs. The carrier also has a crew base for flight attendants and pilots at DFW.
San Jose will become the seventh airport served by Spirit in California, joining Burbank, Los Angeles, Oakland, Orange County, Sacramento and San Diego.
"We're excited to provide more go and boost competition with the introduction of our ultra-low fares and Spirit's signature service in the heart of Silicon Valley," John Kirby, vice president of network planning at Spirit Airlines, said in a statement. "With our new affordable, nonstop flights to popular destinations, we make vacationing and connecting with loved ones easier than ever."
Currently, American is the only other carrier serving San Jose from DFW. American flies up to four times a day to San Jose during peak periods.
Out of Dallas Love Field Airport, Southwest Airlines Co. operates two flights a day to San Jose.
Spirit's biggest competition in California comes from Southwest (NYSE: LUV). Dallas-based Southwest is the state’s busiest airline, and more of its flights depart from California than from any other state in the nation, including Texas. Southwest is the top airline at eight of California’s 10 busiest airports.
Southwest serves 13 cities in California overall, including 10 from Love Field.