Avianca, Breeze and JetBlue expand at Fort Lauderdale airport after Spirit exit

Spirit Airlines’ collapse at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has set off a fast-moving grab for its old space, with Avianca, Breeze Airways and JetBlue all expanding at the Broward airport. Avianca has moved into Terminal 4, where Spirit once operated in Terminal 1, and says it will serve four Colombian cities by mid-July as it builds to 35 weekly flights from Fort Lauderdale.

JetBlue and Breeze are pressing in too. JetBlue said on May 4 that it would add 11 new destinations at FLL and offer a status match for eligible Spirit Free Spirit Silver and Gold members, a direct bid for displaced Spirit customers. Breeze is adding eight new destinations, including nonstop service to Tallahassee, Tampa and Jacksonville.

For Broward travelers, the immediate result is more choice at an airport that was already one of South Florida’s biggest. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport handled 32.2 million passengers in 2025, even after traffic fell 8.5% from 2024, and Broward County’s annual report showed the airport averaging 248 daily domestic departures to 75 cities and 73 daily international departures to 36 destinations in 18 countries as of September 2025. Spirit had accounted for about one-third of passenger traffic at FLL and 13% of Broward County Aviation Department revenue, making its departure a major hole to fill. Broward County said the Aviation Department generated $386 million in revenue in fiscal year 2025.

JetBlue is trying to make the strongest claim on that opening. The airline said its Fort Lauderdale expansion would give it its largest-ever schedule from the airport, and it is aiming for roughly 150 daily flights by the end of the year, up from about 130. The carrier is also leaning on its Mint cabin and lounge access to separate itself from the ultra-low-cost model Spirit once offered.

Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen has welcomed JetBlue’s growth as a hopeful sign after Spirit’s shutdown. But Joe Schwieterman, an aviation professor, called Spirit’s loss a “devastating blow,” a reminder that the low-fare market can shift quickly. That matters for families, students and budget flyers who built their travel plans around Spirit’s fares: more seats and new routes may preserve some cheap options, but the replacements are not an exact match, and airlines can add service aggressively before trimming routes that do not perform.

Fort Lauderdale’s airport is one of Broward’s three major economic engines, alongside the seaport and tourism. The race to replace Spirit’s footprint will shape not just where residents can fly, but how much they pay to get there.