Spirit Airlines has today announced plans to add three new routes out of New York LaGuardia Airport, though there’s one route in particular that I find to be fascinating.
LaGuardia Transcon Flight by Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines will begin operating a Saturday-only service between New York LaGuardia (LGA) and Los Angeles on June 12, 2021. (LAX).
The following timetable will apply to this 2,469-mile route:
- 7:20 a.m. departure from New York, 10:30 a.m. arrival in Los Angeles
- The flight from Los Angeles to New York departs at 1:30 p.m. and arrives at 10:05 p.m.
The Perimeter Rule of LaGuardia
"Why on earth are you talking about a once weekly transcon flight on Spirit Airlines, of all airlines?" you might wonder. This route intrigues me because it was last flown by any airline 15 years ago, in 2006.
All of this boils down to the LaGuardia perimeter rule. Airlines are no longer allowed to operate nonstop flights to destinations more than 1,500 miles away from the airport. What is the purpose of the perimeter rule? The Port Authority put it in place to secure New York JFK and Newark airports in the end.
Spirit Airlines cheap flights to Denver on Saturdays are the only exceptions to the perimeter restriction. If you're asking why the Denver exception exists, it's because it was the only 1,500+ mile route functioning when the law was enacted in 1984, so an exception was established for it.
Because LaGuardia is primarily a business airport, the perimeter rule does not apply on Saturdays, which is a considerably quieter day for the airport.
The perimeter rule doesn’t apply on Saturdays, given that LaGuardia is largely a business airport, so it’s a much quieter day for the airport. That’s also exactly what Spirit Airlines is taking advantage of here. Of course there’s a certain irony here — long term LGA to LAX would be an absolute prime business route, but now we’re seeing an ultra low cost carrier operate this route on the weekend.
Starting this summer, Spirit Airlines Reservations will operate a Saturday-only service between LGA and LAX. Spirit Airlines is the first airline in around 15 years to operate this route. The reason this route largely isn’t served is because of LaGaurdia’s perimeter rule, which requires most 1,500+ mile flights out of the New York-area to operate out of EWR or JFK.
