Spirit becomes third US airline to call it quits in Cuba

Spirit Airlines has become the latest to throw in the towel on regular passenger service to country. It's now the third US carrier to do so after similar announcements earlier this year from Frontier and Silver Airways. Spirit’s Havana-Fort Lauderdale flights will end May 31. Other airlines, including American and JetBlue, also have reduced capacity to Cuba, though they have not dropped any routes there. Spirit’s decision to exit Cuba comes only about eight months after regular passenger flights resumed for the first time in nearly 50 years. When Cuba opened up to US airlines last year, routes and capacity to the island were capped and carriers had to apply for the rights to serve the Cuba’s international airports. Nearly all of the big US airlines rushed in with requests to fly to the island – especially on routes to Havana. Against that enthusiasm, however, some industry executives openly wondered whether demand would live up to the hype. Despite the loss of Spirit's service, South Florida travellers will continue to have numerous options for non-stop flights to Havana. American and Delta each fly to Havana from Miami while JetBlue and Southwest fly there from Fort Lauderdale.<br/>