Spirit Air Halts Flights to LaGuardia, Newark on Virus Advisory

Spirit Airlines Inc. is temporarily suspending service at five airports in the U.S. Northeast because of heightened government travel advisories aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus.

The pause begin this week at New York’s LaGuardia and New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International, Spirit said in an email Monday. The discounter is also halting service to Hartford, Connecticut, and two destinations in Upstate New York: Niagara Falls and Plattsburgh. The hiatus will last until at least May 4, said a spokesman for Spirit.

The flight suspensions add to New York’s isolation as the nation’s largest metropolitan area contend with the coronavirus outbreak. On March 28, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to refrain from non-essential travel for 14 days, effective immediately.

Customers with tickets on flights in those cities will be notified of the changes and travel options by email, Miramar, Florida-based Spirit said.

The carrier’s decision was reported earlier by WPDE-TV in South Carolina.