Frontier Airlines launches first South American routes from Florida

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Frontier Airlines is getting ready to fly to South America for the first time.

The Denver-based budget airline on Thursday announced nonstop service to three cities in Colombia.

The trio of routes from Orlando International Airport (MCO) will mark the first time Frontier has sent its planes to the continent.

It will also be a clear move to pick up routes abandoned by former rival Spirit Airlines, which had a significant presence in Colombia prior to its collapse earlier this year.

Among the routes: nonstop service to the Colombian capital city of Bogota, along with new flights to Medellin and Cartagena.

Read more: Spirit is gone. Can other budget airlines survive?

The beautiful church of San Pedro in Cartagena, Colombia. GETTY IMAGES/AMAWATERWAYS/FACEBOOK "We believe there is strong, unmet demand for low-cost travel between Orlando and Colombia, and we look forward to offering affordable flight options between these two magnificent destinations," Tyri Squyres, Frontier's vice president of public and consumer affairs, said in a statement announcing the news.

Read more: Frontier wants to be an airline you want to fly. Will first class and new perks do the trick?

Frontier's 3 new Colombia routes

Here's the full rundown of the new international service Frontier announced:

Route Launch date Frequency

Orlando to Jose Maria Cordova International Airport (MDE) in Medellin Dec. 10 Daily

Orlando to El Dorado International Airport (BOG) in Bogota Dec. 14 Six times per week at the start; daily after March 6, 2027

Orlando to Rafael Nunez International Airport (CTG) in Cartagena Dec. 19 Weekly

Picking up where Spirit left off

All three of those new Frontier flights were routes once served by Spirit. The now-defunct budget airline had been America's top ultra-low-cost carrier in Colombia and in South America.

So, Spirit's collapse left a clear void for consumers looking to fly to the region on a budget airline.

TPG's Summer Hull: An ode to Spirit Airlines — Yeah, they were all yellow

JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES It's worth watching to see whether Frontier makes further moves to acquire former Spirit routes in Latin America.

Frontier executives have said the airline would take a more measured approach in picking up service abandoned by its former competitor.

At the same time, the airline isn't done adding former Spirit routes to the mix — even though it has been several months since its big yellow planes were grounded.

"There are opportunities to pick off markets that they've obviously exited, now, over the coming year or two," Frontier CEO James Dempsey told me in July.

Worth noting

The reveal of Frontier's first-ever service to South America comes days after the airline confirmed it was fully exiting America's largest market.

The carrier plans to bid farewell to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) next month.

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