Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines announced a merger Feb. 7, according to a press release from Spirit. The announcement described the combined airline, which does not currently have a name, as "America’s most competitive ultralow-fare airline."

The merger is expected to close in the second half of 2022 following approval of regulatory processes, Spirit said. Frontier and Spirit have routes in airports in the Houston, Austin, Dallas and San Antonio metro areas as well as in Nashville.

Frontier added three new routes to the William P. Hobby Airport in Houston on Jan. 18.

Spirit CEO Ted Christie described the merger as a "democratization" of air travel.

“This transaction is centered around creating an aggressive ultra-low fare competitor to serve our guests even better, expand career opportunities for our team members and increase competitive pressure, resulting in more consumer-friendly fares for the flying public," Christie said.


The combined carrier will add 10,000 jobs by 2026 and will bring in 350 aircraft, Spirit said. The airline will serve over 145 destinations across the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. According to Spirit's announcement, existing Frontier equityholders will own approximately 51.5%, and existing Spirit equityholders will own approximately 48.5% of the combined airline.