''Happy Birthday'' to Spirit Airlines; South Florida-based Carrier Turns 10 on Sept. 6.

Business Editors/Travel Writers

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 5, 2000

With a vision and focus on flying leisure travelers to and from the Midwest, Northeast and Florida, Spirit Airlines, the largest privately held airline in the United States, celebrates a decade of offering low fares and friendly service.

Sept. 6 officially marks a decade since Charter One, the precursor to Spirit, received its certificate as a scheduled airline from the Federal Aviation Administration and is the birth date of what is Spirit Airlines today.

To celebrate its 10-year anniversary, Spirit is treating passengers to gifts of appreciation as well as expanded service.

On each of Spirit's flights on Sept. 6, flight attendants and crew will encourage "Spirited" passengers to participate in renditions of "Happy Birthday." Gate agents at each ticket counter will distribute commemorative 10th Anniversary memorabilia to passengers along with a note from Spirit's Chairman Ned Homfeld thanking them for their patronage during the past decade. "We are working hard to keep your loyalty," Homfeld tells the passengers, "while keeping the basic premise of providing low price travel to popular leisure destinations."

Spirit also recently doubled its service to and from New York's LaGuardia International Airport, with six new nonstop roundtrip flights to Fort Myers, Orlando (two daily), Tampa and West Palm Beach and one-stop service to Los Angeles. Spirit also continues operating five daily roundtrips between LaGuardia and Detroit, Fort Lauderdale (two daily), Melbourne and Myrtle Beach, S.C.

"Spirit Airlines has made incredible strides since we launched our first commercial flight from Detroit to Atlantic City," Homfeld said. "We began with 75 employees and a vision to offer the flying public an airline built on safety, performance and value. Today, we are a family of nearly 2,000 employees strong, and we continue to achieve our mission."

Spirit, which expects to carry more than 3 million passengers in 2000, has consistently added new routes to fulfill its pledge of offering leisure travelers low fares to top destinations.

Homfeld credits much of Spirit's growth over the years to "committed employees and a welcoming flying public that is always on the watch for low fares."

With the goal of passenger retention in mind, Homfeld was instrumental in launching Spirit's "Syber Specials;" these are Spirit's lowest available fares offered only at www.spiritair.com Friday evenings through midnight Sunday. Weekly email notices of specials and updates are available by registering at www.spiritair.com.

The birthday celebration continues into the fall, as Spirit in October plans to launch service between Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and three Florida cities - Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Fort Myers, and between Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan National Airport and Melbourne and Fort Lauderdale.

A Brief History of Spirit Airlines

Homfeld recalls the early days of the airline as one filled with "promise, hard work and determination to get the jets flying."

After a decade of offering package travel from Detroit, Mich. to entertainment destinations such as Atlantic City, Las Vegas and the Bahamas, in 1990 Spirit's forerunner - Charter One - began offering scheduled flights using two Convair 580 turboprop aircraft from Boston, Mass. and Providence, R.I. to Atlantic City.

Two years later, the company acquired its first jet aircraft, changed its name to Spirit Airlines and launched two daily scheduled flights from Detroit to Atlantic City.

In the spring of 1993, Spirit introduced East Coast travelers to "The Smartest Way to Fly," with unprecedented low fares from Atlantic City, N.J. to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa.

The following years saw expansion from Detroit to the Sunshine State (1993); between Detroit and Myrtle Beach (1996) and from Atlantic City, Boston, Cleveland and New York to Myrtle Beach, S.C. (1998).

Spirit's success led to additional expansions in 1998 and 1999, with service added from Newark, N.J. and New York's Islip and LaGuardia airports to several Florida cities. Spirit also made its first foray into the West Coast market in 1999, launching service between Detroit and Los Angeles, and the new Millennium marked the beginning of Spirit's service between Detroit and LaGuardia.

About Spirit Airlines Today

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Spirit Airlines specializes in low fares and non-stop service linking major northern United States cities to popular destinations in Florida, South Carolina and California.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Spirit Airlines serves Detroit, NY/LaGuardia, NY/Newark, and Atlantic City in the north; Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Melbourne, Orlando, Tampa, and West Palm Beach in Florida as well as Los Angeles, Calif. and Myrtle Beach, S.C. In early October, Spirit will begin serving Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, and later in October plans to serve Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in the nation's capital. The airline flies a fleet of modern MD-80 and DC-9 aircraft and operates scheduled and charter service.

Spirit's low fares never require an advance purchase or a minimum stay. Reservations can be made online at www.spiritair.com, by calling 1-800-772-7117, or through local travel agents.

Editor's notes: To arrange an interview with Chairman Ned Homfeld, please call Michael Schwartzberg at Bennett & Company at 407/425-6040.

Please visit Spirit's website at www.spiritair.com to download a print quality 10th anniversary logo.