Spirit Airlines Announces New Service Between Fort Lauderdale and Cartagena, Colombia

MIRAMAR, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Spirit Airlines today announced that starting May 8, 2008, it will begin new service uniting its Fort Lauderdale home with Cartagena, Colombia, marking the first ultra low cost airline to service the important tourist destination of Colombia.

The daily flights between the two cities will be operated by Airbus A319 aircraft – currently the youngest fleet operating in Latin America and the Caribbean – with a capacity of 144 passengers.

The city of Cartagena, declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1984, offers the beautiful beaches of the Islands of the Rosario and San Bernardo del Viento, as well as a full range of cultural, historical and social activities. In addition to being a preferred tourist destination renowned for its water sports, nightlife and other activities, Cartagena has also become a popular destination for congresses, fairs and conventions for the Latin America and Caribbean region.

Discussing Spirit Airlines’ new service to Cartagena, Oscar Rueda García, Vice Minister of Tourism of Colombia, said: “the arrival of Spirit marks a new stage in the history of Colombia’s tourism, initiates flying to Cartagena, and we hope that very soon will cover other tourist destinations in the country. It is important to accompany this operation with a promotional campaign so that the occupancy of the flights is mainly citizens of the United States coming to Colombia.”

“We are extremely pleased to be able to liberate Cartagena from high fares, as we have already done in other cities of the region, by offering a new ultra low cost alternative for Colombia,” said Spirit’s Chief Marketing Officer Barry Biffle. “This new destination in the Caribbean will be offered to more than 81 million North Americans by way of our connecting network from 13 cities in the United States.”

Spirit is launching the new service to Cartagena with fares as low as $18 each way with introductory fares(A) valid through March 7, 2008, available at www.spiritair.com.

Introductory Fares(A):
Fort Lauderdale-Cartagena		$18.00 Valid for travel May 8, 13, 15, 20
		and 28, 2008.
Cartagena-Fort Lauderdale		$18.00 Valid for travel May 14, 21, 22,
		27 and 29, 2008.
Fort Lauderdale-Cartagena
(connections+)		$88.00 Valid for travel: May 8 - 18, 2008 (daily)
		May 19 - June 18, 2008 (Tues. & Wed. only)
		Sept. 4 - Oct. 31, 2008 (Tues. & Wed. only)
Cartagena-Fort Lauderdale
(connections+)		$88.00 Valid for travel: May 8 - 18, 2008 (daily)
		May 19 - June 18, 2008 (Tues. & Wed. only)
		Sept. 4 - Oct. 31, 2008 (Tues. & Wed. only)

†Connections to and from: Atlanta, Atlantic City, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Myrtle Beach, New York, Orlando, San Juan, Tampa and Washington, DC.

Schedule for Spirit’s Fort Lauderdale-Cartagena service effective May 8, 2008:

		Depart		Arrive		Flight #		Stops		Frequency
From Fort Lauderdale to Cartagena		10:40 am		12:25 pm		131		0		Daily
From Cartagena to Fort Lauderdale		1:15 pm		5:10 pm		132		0		Daily

About Spirit Airlines

Spirit Airlines, Inc. (www.spiritair.com) is the largest Ultra Low Cost Carrier (ULCC) in the United States, Latin America and Caribbean. Its all-Airbus fleet, the youngest in the Americas, flies more than 200 daily flights to 37 destinations. The company is based in Miramar, Florida, and employs 2,300 professionals.

(A) $18 fares must be booked on spiritair.com by 11:59 PM ET on March 7, 2008 for travel on the dates as specified by individual market and by market direction. $88 fares must be booked on spiritair.com by 11:59PM ET on March 10, 2008 and are valid for travel daily between May 8, 2008 and May 18, 2008 and for travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between May 19, 2008 and June 18, 2008 and for travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between September 4, 2008 and October 31, 2008. A 21 day advance purchase is required on these fares. Service to and from Cartagena, Colombia commences on May 8, 2008. All fares are for coach class travel unless otherwise indicated and reflect the spiritair.com discount. Fares are each way based on roundtrip purchase, and roundtrip travel is required, but these fares may be combined with other valid and applicable Spirit Airlines fares on other days of the week. Not all markets are operated on a daily basis -- please check spiritair.com for details. All fares listed on spiritair.com are per customer for each way of travel and include the base fare plus a federal excise tax and any fuel surcharge. Fares do not include: (a) a segment tax of $3.40 per U.S. domestic flight segment (a flight segment is defined as one takeoff and landing) of a passenger’s itinerary; (b) up to $18 per round trip in local airport charges; or (c) a September 11th Security Fee of $2.50 per enplanement originating at a U.S. airport. International itineraries do not include governmental taxes and fees (including U.S. government excise tax) of up to $125 per round trip. Additionally, if sold in, or travel originates in a country outside of the U.S., additional taxes may apply (up to 22% of the fare value per country). Fares are capacity controlled and subject to availability, and will be highly restricted around certain holiday periods. Previously purchased tickets may not be exchanged for these new sale fares. Certain restrictions apply. For best results, please book early.