Spirit Airlines is a go-to airline for those who are looking for wallet-friendly jaunts to St. Louis. The Florida-based carrier offers ultra-low-cost air services to St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL). The no-frills Spirit flight operates regularly from Orlando International Airport (ORD) to STL. It is a budget-friendly alternative to expensive flights for St. Louis travelers.
Which other routes does Spirit Airlines serve from St. Louis? What type of aircraft does the carrier used for STL flights? Which terminal does it use to fly in and out of St. Louis Lambert Airport? This guide covers everything you need to know about Spirit Airlines St. Louis operations.
A brief overview of air transport in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, the second-largest city in Missouri State, has two passenger airports. The primary passenger facility is St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), whereas the second one is MidAmerica St. Louis Airport (BLV).
As the largest and busiest airport in the state, STL serves as a primary gateway to the West. It accommodates nonstop airline service to airports throughout the US and features international routes to Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe. Around 15 airlines operate passenger flights at STL Airport, and Spirit Airlines is one of them.
Spirit Airlines St. Louis operation: Background
Not even two years have passed since Spirit added St. Louis to its route map. The discount airline entered the St. Louis market for the first time on May 27, 2021, by launching flights to four US cities. The carrier inaugurated St. Louis operations with daily services to Los Angeles (LAX), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Las Vegas (LAS), and Orlando (MCO). A few days later, i.e., on June 10, 2021, Spirit Airlines added Pensacola to its growing St. Louis portfolio of services.
Driven by the aim to grow in St. Louis, Spirit soon almost doubled down its destination count from STL. On top of its core markets like Orlando or Fort Lauderdale, the carrier stretched its St. Louis network to a number of leisure destinations for the winter season.
On November 17, 2021, the discount carrier launched daily services from St. Louis to Fort Myers, Phoenix, and Tampa. Spirit’s low-cost, nonstop flights to these vacation destinations opened doors for Gateway City residents to enjoy a quick getaway.
In December, Spirit Airlines added Cancun as its first international destination from St. Louis to keep up with the route expansion. The no-frills flyer inaugurated its first St. Louis international service to Cancun on December 22, 2021. Cancun, the Mexico City situated on the Yucatan Peninsula, became Spirit’s latest nonstop destination from STL. The ultra-low-cost carrier departed STL daily at 6:30 am for Cancun and returned back at 2:03 pm.
Overall, Spirit Airlines has served eight nonstop destinations from St. Louis across its nearly 2-year presence at STL. Let’s break down the routes according to their launch dates.
From St. Louis to:
- Spirit’s three biggest cities (Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, and Orlando); launch date- May 27, 2021
- Los Angeles (LAX); launch date-May 27, 2021
- Pensacola (PNS); launch date-June 10, 2021
- Three fun destinations (Fort Myers, Phoenix, and Tampa); launch date November 17, 2021
- Cancun (first international destination from STL); launch date December 22, 2021
Spirit Airlines St. Louis: Current routes
Currently, Spirit Airlines doesn’t serve all eight aforementioned destinations from St. Louis. In January 2023, the ULCC dropped 37 routes from its network as part of its scheduled adjustments. The Miami-based carrier cut off scheduled flights on 37 routes citing supply chain woes on aircraft deliveries and engine manufacturing/overhaul. As a result, it also scrapped some St. Louis routes from the schedule, like FLL-STL, PHX-STL, RSW-STL, etc.
So, where does Spirit Airlines fly direct from STL at present?
Spirit Airlines currently flies directly from STL to Orlando International Airport and Harry Reid International Airport.
The ultra-low-fare carrier offers nonstop flights on STL-MCO and STL-LAS routes. Let’s dig into details about these routes.
- Spirit Airlines St. Louis to Orlando flights
Miramar, Florida-headquartered Spirit Airlines maintains one of its largest operating bases at Orlando Airport. It offers regularly scheduled services between Orlando and St. Louis, linking people and businesses in ‘O-Town’ with the Gateway City. St. Louis customers headed to/from Orlando can enjoy affordable travel and greater choice offered by Spirit Airlines’ ultra-low-cost flights.
Both NK 1132 and NK1130 serve the STL-MCO route, flying nonstop for nearly 2 hours and 30 minutes. Spirit Airlines deploys Airbus A319 to perform flight NK1132 and Airbus A320 for NK1130. The departure and arrival timing may vary each day.
For e.g., Spirit Airlines Flight NK1130 will depart STL at 4:35 pm and arrive in MCO at 7:59 pm on April 27. However, the flight departure and arrival times are set at 3:00 pm and 6:24 pm the next day.
The return flight NK1131 traveling from Orlando to St. Louis also has different departure and arrival timing each day.
Since Orlando is Spirit’s big city, passengers flying nonstop from STL can easily connect through Orlando to cities throughout the US. For example, Spirit passengers traveling from St. Louis can use Orlando as a connection to other US airports like Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, etc.
Spirit Airlines uses both A and B terminals among three passenger terminals at ORD. ORD terminal A lies on the northern side of the main terminal and has gates 1-29 and 100-129. Similarly, Terminal B (the southern half of the main building) has gates 30-59 and 70-99.
Spirit Airlines St. Louis to Las Vegas flights
Spirit Airlines St. Louis to Las Vegas flight is a 3-hour 40-minute journey onboard Airbus A320 aircraft. The STL-LAX flight schedule is as follows:
Flight NK 1874: Depart STL at 1:10 pm and arrive in LAS at 2:49 pm local time
The return flight, i.e., LAS-STL, has a flying duration of 3 hours and 2 minutes and is scheduled as follows:
Flight NK 2956: Depart LAS at 7:05 am and arrive in STL at 12:07 pm local time
Spirit Airlines maintains a focus city at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) to operate point-to-point routes. Travelers taking nonstop flights from STL can connect through Las Vegas en route to their final destinations within the US. The low-fare carrier flies directly from Las Vegas to 40+ US airports.
Spirit Airlines St. Louis Terminal information
St. Louis Lambert International Airport has two terminals-T1 and T2, to accommodate incoming and outgoing passengers.
There are two concourses, i.e., Concourse A (15 gates) and Concourse C (20 gates) in Terminal 1, accommodating altogether 10 airlines. All domestic operations at STL are handled at Terminal 1.
The 18-gate Terminal 2 features customs and immigration facilities and handles all international flights (without border preclearance). Besides, it is home to Southwest Airlines’ St. Louis operations. Southwest Airlines is the largest carrier at STL, accounting for 60% of the market share of enplaned passengers. In 2022, the Dallas-based low-cost carrier alone ferried around 7 million passengers through St. Louis.
Which terminal is Spirit Airlines at STL?
Spirit Airlines uses Terminal 1 to operate passenger flights at STL Airport. It uses gate C30 of Terminal 1 to circulate passengers out of STL. Since the carrier has a minimal presence at St. Louis Airport, it uses just a single boarding gate for passenger processing.
Besides Spirit Airlines, other US carriers like Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, United, etc., use Terminal 1. Alaska Airlines and Sun County Airlines also have a 1-gate operation at STL Terminal 1.
Spirit Airlines St. Louis: Aircraft used for STL flights
The low-cost giant Spirit Airlines operates an all-Airbus fleet, dominated by Airbus A320-200s (ceos) and Airbus A320neos. The current fleet of Spirit Airlines consists of 26 A319-100s, 64 A320-200s, 73 Airbus A320neos, and 30 Airbus A321-200s.
Which aircraft types does Spirit Airlines operate for STL flights? Well, the Florida-based ULCC uses a mix of Airbus A319 and A320jets to perform STL flights.
Spirit Airlines’ Airbus A319 jet has 145 seats, whereas the A320 jet features 182 seats. The Big Front Seats and standard economy seats are present on both aircraft types.
Big Front Seats offer the most comfortable seating experience for Spirit passengers. Big Front Seats have a generous 36″ pitch and 18. 5″ width at the front of the plane. The full 6″ of additional legroom compared to standard economy seats gives customers sufficient space to stretch out and relax in comfort.
Both A319 and A320 jets serving the STL flights are equipped with an onboard Wi-Fi system. By paying certain bucks, travelers headed to/from St. Louis can enjoy internet connectivity onboard the plane.
About Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines is a leading ULCC offering oodles of flights across the US, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Headquartered in Miramar, Florida, the carrier maintains operating bases at ten major US airports. The ever-growing network of Spirit Airlines currently consists of 80+ destinations within the US and beyond. The carrier operates on an ultra-low-cost business model to offer enticing travel deals for customers.
