Spirit helping to boost competition at McCarran

Sam Morris / File photo

A control tower at McCarran International Airport is silhouetted against a sunset as an aircraft takes off.

A discount air carrier that focuses leisure travelers and calls itself “the unbundling leader in the industry” is quickly becoming a competitive force at McCarran International Airport.

Miramar, Fla.-based Spirit Airlines is nearly doubling its fleet. Its recently announced routes from Las Vegas to San Diego; Oakland, Calif.; and Portland, Ore., will make McCarran Spirit’s second-busiest destination behind its primary hub, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“When it first came here in 2002, Spirit had just a couple of daily flights to Detroit and Fort Lauderdale,” Clark County Aviation Director Randall Walker said. “But by September, it’ll have 21 flights a day to eight cities. We’re glad to have it.”

Spirit this week announced two daily round trips to Portland beginning Sept. 22 and two a day to San Diego beginning Sept. 7 with a third to be added Sept. 22. That came on the heels of the announcement of two daily round trips to Oakland beginning Aug. 18, expanding to three Sept. 7.

Spirit had routes to Los Angeles International, Chicago’s O’Hare International, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit and Fort Lauderdale.

The bulk of the airline’s routes are in the Caribbean, Florida, the East Coast and Mexico, and Central and South America. Only recently has Spirit moved west as it begins taking delivery of 33 new Airbus jets to go along with the 35 in its fleet.

Michael Pewther, senior sales director of Spirit, said the airline has one of the youngest fleets in the industry and uses twin-engine A319s (145 seats), A320s (178 seats) and A321s (218 seats).

Spirit has created a buzz by offering $9 introductory fares. To be eligible for the low fares, customers must become members of Spirit’s $9 Fare Club, which costs $60 a year to join. Members get notifications of discounted fares, some as low as a penny.

Pewther admitted that Spirit has taken a little heat for some aspects of its aggressive unbundling strategy, which includes fees to check bags, charges for snacks and drinks and, an industry first, a carry-on bag fee.

Bag fees range from $18 for $9 Fare Club members who buy online for the first bag up to $100 for nonmembers who buy at the airport for third through fifth bags checked.

The controversial carry-on fees range from $20 online for $9 Fare Club members to $45 at the gate. Passengers can take one item for free — a purse, small backpack or briefcase that can fit under a seat. But anything over 16-by-14-by-12 inches gets assessed a fee.

Pewther said the carry-on fee has made boarding much faster and easier for passengers because most people will check suitcases to avoid the carry-on costs, and there’s less clutter in the cabin.

“We were looking at new places to fly and Las Vegas is perfect for us as a leisure destination,” Pewther said. “We’re very bullish on Las Vegas and hopefully we can sustain the great start we’ve had here.”

Pewther said he doesn’t consider Spirit to be a competitor to Southwest Airlines because their business models are so different.

Spirit’s growth in Las Vegas hasn’t translated into many new jobs. Annette Close, Spirit’s general manager of airport services in Las Vegas, said there are four full-time employees, but the airline contracts with DAL Global Services, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, for ramp and gate workers.

Walker said he’s excited to have Spirit’s growth after several airlines have cut flights to McCarran because of the slow economy and the high cost of fuel. The airline’s low-cost model is bound to spark competition, he said.

“The great thing about competition is that the consumer wins,” Walker said. “We love Southwest, but look what’s happened to fares to Reno. Because there’s no competition, one airline can dictate the price.”

Airfares between Las Vegas and Reno, a popular route for legislators, state government workers and Las Vegans who attend UNR, have nearly doubled in the past two years. A typical round-trip flight to Reno costs about $200.

With the new Spirit service, McCarran will have nearly 500 daily one-way flights. A year ago, the airport had 464 flights. In June 2007, there were 572.

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