Discount airline coming to Boise Airport with cheap flights to popular Western city
The Boise Airport is welcoming another airline to its growing roster, with the arrival of Spirit Airlines and its first daily flight to Las Vegas starting this summer, the airport announced Wednesday.
Spirit’s addition expands the region’s air travel hub to nine commercial airlines that will offer service through Idaho’s capital city. It also comes on the heels just last week of the airport announcing a partnership with new low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines starting in May, with a twice-weekly nonstop route to and from Hollywood Burbank Airport in Southern California.
Boise Airport’s other airlines include Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest and United.
Las Vegas is a popular destination among passengers in and out of Boise, consistently ranking in the airport’s top-five travel destinations, according to the airport. Spirit’s fares will start as low as $66 each way, with bookings available at spirit.com.
Allegiant and Southwest also offer flights between Boise and Las Vegas. Alaska will add the route in June.
“We are very excited to welcome Spirit Airlines to Boise this summer,” Boise Airport Director Rebecca Hupp said in a news release. “Adding daily service on a low-cost carrier will allow more BOI passengers access to the endless allures and attractions of Las Vegas.”
Spirit, based in South Florida, last month announced a planned merger with fellow discount air carrier Frontier Airlines, based in Denver. If approved by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the deal would create the nation’s fifth-largest airline — behind American, Delta, Southwest and United.
The additional route to Las Vegas, starting Aug. 5, holds the region’s air travel at 28 nonstop destinations, once Alaska Airlines launches daily service between Boise and Idaho Falls on June 16. The hour-long, intrastate route hasn’t been offered since 2010. The Seattle-based carrier will add the daily nonstop flight between Boise and Las Vegas the same day.
“It’s going to be a great day when we welcome Boise guests on the brightest planes in the sky for the first time and provide new, convenient nonstop flights to Las Vegas, with dozens of exciting connection opportunities across the country,” John Kirby, Spirit’s vice president of network planning, said in the news release.
Boise Airport seasonal flights returning
The number of routes and destinations through Boise could otherwise continue to be on the rise. Southwest, which decided last year to pull three summer seasonal flights from the market, is in the process of reconsidering its summer and fall schedules, with possible return of some popular routes across its network, a Southwest airlines spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, travelers can look forward to the return of other summer seasonal flights in Boise. American Airlines plans to restore its nonstop flight to Chicago-O’Hare on June 3, while JetBlue will bring back its nonstop route to New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on June 10. Bookings may be made at each airline’s website.
The new year is already off to a strong start at the Boise Airport, as more travelers return to the air with the recent drop in the rate of COVID-19 infections compared to the height of the pandemic. January saw nearly 285,000 passengers — a total ahead of the airport’s five-year average for the first month of the year. February numbers aren’t yet available, but tends to hover around an average of 260,000 under normal conditions, which typically makes it the slowest air travel month of the year.
The airport rebounded last year with more than 3.6 million passengers, after recording its lowest passenger total in at least 15 years in 2020, at fewer than 2 million passengers, according to airport data. In 2019, the airport logged its all-time high for travel, at more than 4.1 million passengers.
This story was originally published March 16, 2022 at 3:27 PM.
