A so-called \u201cbackfilling\u201d movement by other carriers has continued ever since, according to the Broward County Aviation Department, which answered multiple emailed questions last week from the South Florida Sun Sentinel about the current business landscape at the airport, which is perennially ranked as one of the nation\u2019s top 20 busiest airports.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re forecasting passenger traffic for calendar year 2026 to be relatively flat to [calendar year 2025], which was 32.2 million travelers,\u201d the department said.<\/p>\n
For the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, the department is projecting that 15.89 million passengers will board planes at the airport, \u201cwhich reflects adjustments associated with Spirit\u2019s cessation of operations and the anticipated backfilling of flight activity by other carriers.\u201d<\/p>\n
That includes a \u201cstrong\u201d year-over-year performance by carriers such as JetBlue Airways and Frontier Airlines from January through April of this year.<\/p>\n
The rebound has emerged after Mark Gale, CEO\/director of aviation at the airport, wrote in his monthly website letter to the public that May \u201cwas a tough month for aviation in South Florida, as our hometown carrier, Spirit Airlines, officially ceased operations after 33 years due to escalating financial troubles exacerbated by rising jet fuel prices.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile Spirit had the largest share of passenger traffic at FLL before its demise, other carriers have significantly expanded operations here over the last two years,\u201d he wrote. \u201cAdditionally, since its shutdown, airlines, including JetBlue, Allegiant, and Avianca, have shown ongoing interest in new or expanded service at FLL. These new or expanded flights are expected to offset the shortfall from Spirit\u2019s absence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spirit\u2019s terminal space reclaimed<\/p>\n
The department said it took roughly a month to retake control of the terminal space leased by Spirit.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe regained the Spirit exclusive leasehold area on June 1,\u201d the department said. \u201cHowever, as a reminder, we were able to make non-exclusive space previously used by Spirit [such as gates] available to other airlines immediately following its cessation of operations. Use of exclusively leased space [such as ticket counters and offices] had to be worked out through the bankruptcy process.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/TFL-L-FLL-AIRPORT-SHRINKING-001.jpg\")
The Broward County Aviation Department is removing signs that once announced the presence of the now defunct Spirit Airlines at the once bustling Terminal 4 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. (Joe Cavaretta\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n
By the department\u2019s reckoning, Spirit now owes the airport $6 million<\/a> in back fees since the airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for a second time in less than a year in August 2025.<\/p>\n Asked if the unpaid fees have adversely affected the airport\u2019s business, the department said they had not. That\u2019s partly due to strong non-airline revenue from food and beverage operations, retail shops, and on-site car rentals.<\/p>\n The department is now in the process of \u201cde-branding\u201d spaces used by Spirit, removing signs and\u00a0 \u201creconditioning these spaces for future use by other airlines.\u201d<\/p>\n JetBlue: The new No. 1<\/p>\n No airline seems to have been more aggressive about replacing Spirit than New York-based JetBlue Airways, which has served the airport since that carrier\u2019s inception 30 years ago. Its attempted $3.8 billion takeover bid of Spirit was blocked by a federal judge in 2024 on antitrust concerns raised by the Biden Administration.<\/p>\n Now JetBlue, which has endured its own financial struggles, is positioned to solidify the top spot its takeover target once occupied at the airport.<\/p>\n In what amounted to a public relations full court press, Marty St. George, the airline\u2019s president, recently delivered a keynote appearance at the mid-year meeting of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance,\u00a0 the economic development arm of Broward County, before an audience of several hundred business and public sector figures.<\/p>\n His message: JetBlue, which frequently occupied second place behind Spirit in passengers served at the airport,\u00a0 plans to operate up to 150 daily flights at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood<\/a> starting early next year. As he spoke at the event last month, the number stood around 100.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have very aggressive growth planes for South Florida,\u201d he told the Sun Sentinel. \u201cIt\u2019s a full-sized operation for us. For the first time in JetBlue\u2019s history we will have an actual hub\u201d with flights timed to link passenger connections.<\/p>\n \u201cI have great confidence that the airport director and the [county] commissioners will be aligned with us,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The airport\u2019s aviation department acknowledged it is in \u201congoing discussions with JetBlue regarding how and where the increase in flight activity will be accommodated, which will include Terminal 4,\u201d Spirit\u2019s old home.<\/p>\n JetBlue\u2019s expansion move in Fort Lauderdale coincides with the airline\u2019s downsizing in the Greater New York area, a region that management has deemed costly to operate.<\/p>\n Other discounters step up<\/p>\n Spirit\u2019s other rivals in the discount category also have been conspicuous in their additions, essentially upholding the airport\u2019s tradition of being the state\u2019s mainstay for budget carriers.<\/p>\n \u201cFort Lauderdale-Hollywood has kept its costs low to attract and keep the low-budget airlines,\u201d said Henry Harteveldt, founder and president of Atmosphere Research Group, a Dallas-based market research and advisory firm. \u201cThat has turned Fort Lauderdale into South Florida\u2019s value airport.\u201d<\/p>\n Frontier Airlines of Denver, which at one point lost a bidding war with JetBlue to acquire Spirit, is among those carriers in talks with the airport about potential growth opportunities.<\/p>\n \u201cFrontier has grown noticeably at FLL during the past 12 months, increasing from 383,000 departure seats in 2025 to just under a million seats during 2026,\u201d the department said. \u201cThe airline has added several new markets during this period, including new nonstop service to Washington Dulles.\u201d<\/p>\n Allegiant Air of Las Vegas has seen significant year-over-year growth, the department said, \u201cgoing from 735,000 departure seats in 2025 to just under one million seats projected in 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n The airline is introducing new markets from the airport to Pittsburgh, Omaha and Kansas City.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Breeze Airways<\/a>, a youngish discounter that marked its fifth anniversary in May, is launching eight new destinations from the airport in July, including service to Tallahassee. The carrier operates more than 300 year-round and seasonal routes to 88 cities in the U.S., Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/tfl-l-spirit-airlines-update10.jpg\")
Although Southwest Airlines has moved a large block of flights including international operations to Orlando from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, the carrier still plans to add flights to several U.S. cities from the Broward County airport at year’s end. (Carline Jean\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
\nSouthwest: End-of-year additions<\/p>\n