Two of RDU’s low-cost airlines are merging. What might that mean for passengers?
Low-cost air carriers Frontier and Spirit announced plans to merge Monday, but it’s not yet clear what the union would mean for travelers at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
Between them, Frontier and Spirit carried more than 644,000 passengers in and out of RDU last year, accounting for more than 7% of travelers through the airport. Frontier, which flies to more destinations, handled the bulk of those passengers.
The airlines say the merger will allow them to offer more flights to more destinations without raising fares.
But the companies have not disclosed how the merger would work and whether a single airline will emerge under a new name and logo. Monday’s announcement was just the first step, said Frontier spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz.
“In the coming months, we will work closely with Spirit to determine how to integrate our businesses,” de la Cruz wrote in an email. “The combined company’s management team, branding and headquarters will be determined at a later point in time.”
It’s also not clear what the merger will mean for routes at particular airports, de la Cruz said. The airlines currently compete on two routes at RDU, to Miami and Orlando, Florida, which are Spirit’s only destinations from the Triangle.
Frontier, meanwhile, also flies to seven other cities, including Las Vegas and Cancun. In April it plans to begin its summer seasonal flights to five northern cities: Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Hartford and Portland, Maine.
Frontier and Spirit both operate Airbus aircraft, which should make integrating their fleets easier. But each airline has distinctive colors and logos. Frontier is proud of the animals on the tails of its planes, while Spirit planes are a bright yellow from nose to tail.
The airlines say they hope to complete the merger in the second half of this year. In the meantime, the airlines will continue to operate separately.
This story was originally published February 7, 2022 at 11:20 AM.
