Spirit Airlines was founded in 1980 in Macomb County, Michigan as Charter One[1], a Detroit-based charter tour operator providing travel packages.....

Spirit Airlines was founded in 1980 in Macomb County, Michigan as Charter One, a Detroit-based charter tour operator providing travel packages to entertainment destinations such as Atlantic City, Las Vegas and the Bahamas. In 1990, Charter One began scheduled service from Boston and Providence, R.I. to Atlantic City. On May 29, 1992 Charter One brought jet equipment into the fleet, changed its name to Spirit Airlines and inaugurated service from Detroit to Atlantic City.

In April 1993, Spirit Airlines began scheduled service to destinations in Florida. During the next five years, Spirit expanded rapidly, increasing service from Detroit and adding service in new markets such as Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Los Angeles and New York.

Spirit relocated its headquarters in December 1999, moving from Eastpointe, Michigan to Miramar, Florida. Expansion continued with the addition of the Chicago market as well as coast-to-coast service to Los Angeles.

In November 2001, Spirit inaugurated service to San Juan, Puerto Rico and implemented a fully integrated Spanish-language customer service plan including a website and dedicated reservation line.

On June 24, 2002, Spirit launched Spirit Vacations in conjunction with GOGO Worldwide Vacations. The service offers air, hotel, and activities similar to many other vacations sites. The service is offered to many destinations in the United States and several of the most popular in the Caribbean and Latin America . The vacation brand is now operated solely by the Mark Travel Corporation .

In 2002, Spirit started new service to Denver, Colo. and Las Vegas, Nevada and expanded service to many of its existing markets. The airline has since discontinued service to Denver.

In the Fall of 2003, Spirit resumed flights to Washington, D.C’s Reagan National Airport, which had been suspended after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and began service to Cancún, Mexico.

Although Spirit is no longer headquartered in Michigan the airline's operating certificate continues to reflect its registration in the city of Eastpointe.

In 2004, the airline added Santo Domingo and Providence to its network. In 2005, Spirit Airlines launched its biggest expansion effort yet, adding numerous destinations in the Caribbean and Bahamas. By February 2006, Spirit's portfolio of destinations in the region totaled ten. Spirit also began service to Grand Cayman, San Francisco, and Boston in 2006, and in 2007 filed DOT applications to offer service to Costa Rica, Haiti, the Netherlands Antilles, and Venezuela.

In 2006 Spirit announced it will exercise options and order 30 more Airbus A319-100 aircraft for further expansion. The aircraft will have a scheduled delivery of 2009 to 2013.

On March 6, 2007, Spirit announced their transition to become the first Ultra- Low Cost carrier in the United States. Their initial plan is to begin charging $10 per checked bag for the first two bags ($5 if bags are pre-reserved online prior to the flight), in addition to charging $1 for drinks which are currently complimentary. Starting June 20, Spirit Plus, was rebranded as BIG FRONT SEAT will no longer provide business class service. For an additional fee, a person can choose BIG FRONT SEAT, or upgrade at the airport. The airline models its business plan and operating style to that of ultra low-cost carriers Ryanair and Air Asia yet has added numerous innovations to further the "ala carte" pricing option. As of October 1, 2007, Spirit is charging $2 for all drinks and $2 for bottled water. In 2007, Spirit became the largest air traffic carrier at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

On September 26, 2007, Spirit announced a new branding image for the airline that updates the look of its aircraft. Spirit stated that this new image will save money by being lighter weight and thus burning less fuel in flight. The new image is white background with accents in colors most represented in Caribbean and Latin American countries, consistent with Spirit's route network. This new image will affect the carrier's aircraft, uniforms, airports, and website.

On June 3, 2008, Spirit Airlines made a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining notice) application to potentially relocate or lay off hundreds of pilots and flight attendants, and the closure of its San Juan crew base and LaGuardia crew base, with no change of flying at those stations.

Starting in September, Spirit aircraft will become "air billboards". Plans for advertising on the overhead bins, tray tables, seatback inserts and bulkheads is being rolled out at present.