An illustration showing planes at the airport
North America

Life After Spirit: The Future of Fort Lauderdale

North America

Life After Spirit: The Future of Fort Lauderdale

May 2026
44 min read
Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat
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Skift Take

When Spirit Airlines collapsed, Fort Lauderdale looked destined for decline. Instead, a new battle for South Florida is erupting. JetBlue is aggressively expanding, Frontier is rapidly rebuilding, and Breeze and Allegiant are flooding the market with new routes of their own. We examine the airport’s next chapter in this week’s feature story.

Issue Overview

When Spirit Airlines collapsed, Fort Lauderdale looked destined for decline. Instead, a new battle for South Florida is erupting. JetBlue is aggressively expanding, Frontier is rapidly rebuilding, and Breeze and Allegiant are flooding the market with new routes of their own. We examine the airport’s next chapter in this week’s feature story.