Spirit Airlines flies to Tampa and Fort Myers, Florida from Louisville

  • Spirit Airlines launches Tampa flights from Louisville
  • Spirit Airlines launches Fort Myers route from Louisville
  • Spirit flight 1227 will be airline’s first departure from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport

Louisville lit up the sky in yellow to signal that Spirit Airlines was on its way, and now Spirit’s bright yellow planes are touching down for the first time as the airline celebrates its inaugural flight.

The first landing is a milestone years in the making, but Spirit Airlines is taking the festivities a step further by announcing the addition of two new, nonstop routes from the Derby City to Tampa (TPA) and Fort Myers (RSW) on Florida’s Gulf Coast starting later this year. 

“It’s a beautiful day when we get to bring the best value in the sky to a vibrant city like Louisville and announce plans for even More Go on day one,” said John Kirby, Vice President of Network Planning for Spirit Airlines. “I’ve seen so much enthusiasm across the whole Spirit Team as we prepared to welcome Guests onboard in Louisville, and we’re off to a great start serving this incredible community. We look forward to everyone experiencing our unbeatable combination of service, reliability, new planes and low fares when they take their next trip.”

Spirit flight 1227 will be the airline’s first departure from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF). Plans call for it to leave under a water cannon salute with nonstop service to Fort Lauderdale. The rest of the day’s schedule calls for flights to and from Orlando, Las Vegas and Los Angeles with service to Pensacola following in June. Thursday’s announcement means SDF travelers will be able to catch nonstop flights to seven cities—and connections throughout the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean—while enjoying Spirit’s famous low fares, Signature Service and on-time performance.

“When Spirit first announced they were coming to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, we said it was a great day, and it keeps getting better. Spirit is a fantastic addition to our community, and we appreciate the continued investment with two new, convenient nonstop routes since their initial announcement,” said Dan Mann, Executive Director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority. “We look forward to a vibrant future with even more options for more travelers to visit our city, along with additional opportunities to travel around the country and the world.”

Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas and Orlando are three of Spirit’s biggest cities, which means nonstop flights from SDF come with easy connections throughout the United States. Fort Lauderdale is also Spirit’s largest gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean, providing access to 16 countries.


Flights from Louisville (SDF)
Destination: Flights Available: Launch Date:
Fort Lauderdale (FLL) Daily May 27, 2021
Las Vegas (LAS) Daily May 27, 2021
Los Angeles (LAX) Daily May 27, 2021
Orlando (MCO) Daily May 27, 2021
Pensacola (PNS) 3X Weekly June 10, 2021
Fort Myers (RSW) NEW 4X Weekly Nov. 17, 2021
Tampa (TPA) NEW 3X Weekly Nov. 18, 2021