The presence of Spirit Airlines continues to grow at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport, but its popularity with travelers remains under review.
After adding service to Baltimore and Houston, the Florida-based low-fare carrier announced Thursday that it will offer seasonal nonstop service between the Twin Cities and Detroit effective May 22 and operating daily until Nov. 1.
The new service to Detroit brings to 13 the number of nonstop destinations that passengers can reach from the Twin Cities as Spirit continues to build its presence in northern-tier cities including Chicago.
"Now even more customers going to or from the Windy City and the Twin Cities will be able to save with our insanely low fares," said Mark Kopczak, Spirit's vice president of network planning, in a statement.
However, airline industry experts expressed caution about Spirit's market acceptance, given the additional fees for everything from carry-on luggage to online booking.
"Spirit is attractive to people strictly concerned about the lowest fares, but when people are nickel-and-dimed to death, that's a turnoff to a lot of consumers," said Steve Loucks, chief communications officer for Plymouth-based Travel Leaders Group.
A round-trip fare from the Twin Cities to Detroit in May is listed at $178, according to www.Spirit.com. The current average fare on a Delta flight is $259 each way, according to the Metropolitan Airports Commission.
"We look for routes with high prices which we feel can be stimulated through lower fares, thereby generating new customers," said Maggie Espin-Christina, Spirit's corporate communications manager, in an e-mail.
