Detroit Lands Fifth Spot in Spirit Airlines’ Most Popular Thanksgiving Destinations

Detroit shot up to fifth place among Spirit Airlines' most-wanted Thanksgiving spots. Website data from early fall shows the Motor City mixing it up with beach towns and desert oases in the top 10 list. Orlando claimed the crown, with Fort Lauderdale and Las Vegas right behind.

"This Thanksgiving, travelers are searching for flights to spend the long weekend with the people and places they're most thankful for," said Rana Ghosh, senior vice president and chief commercial officer at Spirit Airlines, in a news release, as reported by Freep.

The carrier will send 3,200 planes into the skies during the holiday rush. Passengers will zip across 3 million miles between Nov. 25 and Dec. 1. The final two days of this stretch will fill terminals.

Detroit Metro Airport stands tall as Michigan's air travel hub. Its halls welcomed 10.9 million flyers through August 2025. By comparison, Grand Rapids handled just 1.45 million people in that time.

Fresh options await holiday flyers on Spirit planes. The budget carrier now offers Spirit First seats and a Premium Economy section for those wanting extra comfort.

While other Michigan cities wait for service, Detroit keeps its spot as Spirit's sole state stop. The rest of the most-searched list fills out with Houston at fourth, then Atlanta, Newark, New York-LaGuardia, San Juan, and Dallas-Fort Worth bringing up the rear.

Yet storm clouds loom. Come Dec. 1, Spirit will trim its Detroit workforce. State officials got word that 103 flight attendants at Metro Airport will lose their jobs.

Want to stay on schedule? FlightStats by Cirium tracks delays in real time.