Spirit Airlines restarts its operations to Colombia

As of September 19, Spirit Airlines will restart direct flights from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), with a first flight to Cartagena. Spirit will be the first airline to enter Colombia with an international commercial flight. Additionally, Spirit will restart flights from Bogotá, Medellín and Cali to Fort Lauderdale as of September 21.

“Being the airline that will operate the first commercial international flight to Colombia from the United States is a sign of our commitment to the country. Uniting our Passengers with their loved ones, as borders are reopened, is the best gift we can give them, ”said Ted Christie, President and CEO of Spirit Airlines. "We have been anticipating our return to the country and we thank the government of Colombia for its constant support and collaboration."

Since the borders of Colombia were closed due to COVID-19, Spirit Airlines worked in collaboration with the United States embassy in Bogotá and the Colombian government to carry out humanitarian flights between the two countries. What began as a single humanitarian flight in early April, turned into almost 200 flights that repatriated more than 25,000 people between the United States and nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, with Colombia being the main collaborator in this mission.

"The return of Spirit to our skies is great news for the country, as it confirms that we are making a firm step towards the recovery of the tourism industry under strict biosafety protocols," said Flavia Santoro, president of ProColombia. “When this situation began, we were clear that we had to work on a plan to restore international seats and frequencies hand in hand with the airlines. This is how we are coordinating the return of Spirit and supporting her in her promotional plans for her return. "

Spirit is the airline with the largest number of direct flights connecting Colombia with the United States. In the last 12 years, the airline has flown almost 3 million Passengers between Colombia and the United States. Since the beginning of its operations in May 2008, Spirit has continued its growth in the country, offering direct flights between the United States and the cities of Cartagena, Bogotá, Medellín, Armenia and Cali. Additionally in January, Spirit announced the future addition of flights to Bucaramanga and Barranquilla; these routes will open at the end of 2020.

Passengers traveling to Colombia must present a negative result of a PCR test no more than 96 hours before the stipulated time of travel. Additionally, Passengers traveling to or from Colombia must register on the official Colombian migration page. The process can be done 24 hours in advance and up to an hour before the trip. For more information on the protocols for entering the country, please refer to the official website of the Colombian government.

Spirit Airlines Security Protocols
Caring for our Passengers and Team Members is Spirit's absolute priority. The airline has a security approach comprised of several protocols including a regulation requiring all Passengers and Team Members to wear cloth face covers. Spirit's fleet is equipped with state-of-the-art and high-efficiency particulate matter filters (HEPA) that capture 99.97% of the particles and filter the air of pollutants every 3 minutes.
The airline has also expanded aircraft cleaning protocols between each flight, which includes an additional focus on frequent contact points like handles, seat belt buckles, folding trays and armrests. Spirit also uses two EPA-registered fogging treatments. The first applies a safe, high-grade disinfectant that is effective against coronaviruses. The second uses an antimicrobial product that forms an invisible barrier on all surfaces that kills bacteria and viruses on contact for 30 days.