Romulus — Frontier Airlines is positioning itself to expand at Detroit Metropolitan Airport following Spirit Airlines’ exit, as airlines adjust routes to absorb passengers displaced by the collapse of the low-cost carrier.

The Wayne County Airport Authority confirmed that the Denver-based Frontier has formally requested access to Spirit Airlines’ former terminal space at the Warren Evans Terminal, though officials declined to say how many gates the airline is seeking or the proposed lease terms.

“It would be premature to share any details about ongoing discussions or potential lease agreements with Frontier or any other airline,” Cortez Strickland, spokesperson for the airport authority, wrote in an email.

Frontier, meanwhile, said it has already begun increasing service from Detroit and expects additional growth beginning this summer.

In a statement, the carrier said it has restored nonstop service from Detroit to Fort Lauderdale and Las Vegas, routes it had previously operated before pausing them. The airline is evaluating additional changes across its network.

“Our Network Planning team is continuing to evaluate our overall route network to determine future route additions as well, and we anticipate increased capacity from DTW starting in July and through the winter,” Rob Harris, spokesman for Frontier, said in an email.

Frontier’s request comes as aviation experts say Spirit Airlines’ exit from Detroit Metro Airport will reshuffle demand among carriers already serving the market. Those airlines include Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines. Travel agents also say airfares have been climbing, with fewer low-cost options and higher fuel costs contributing to costlier tickets for travelers.

“Spirit is gone, however, the market is still over there …” said Selim Ozyurek, assistant professor at Western Michigan University’s College of Aviation. “The other airlines are going to be taking advantage of the existing demand.”

The void created by Spirit Airlines

Spirit previously operated from six gates in the Evans Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport. The airport authority said all former Spirit routes are being served by other airlines operating at the airport. However, the loss leaves a gap in Detroit’s low-cost air travel market.

“The airline was a low-cost carrier with a DTW-based crew and a maintenance hangar onsite,” Strickland said. “While it may be difficult to identify an exact replacement with an identical operational model, all routes formerly operated by Spirit are currently being serviced by other carriers at DTW. Also, our Air Service Development team regularly researches opportunities to increase routes and attract new airlines to DTW.”

Frontier said maintaining a strong presence in Detroit is central to its low-fare strategy, and that competition from budget carriers helps keep air fares down.

“The presence of low-fare carriers in a market forces competition among airlines and reduces the cost of flying for consumers overall,” Harris said.

Travel agents say airfares are elevated compared to last year, driven by a mix of fewer low-cost options and higher fuel costs.

“It’s hard to say if it’s the absolute departure of Spirit, or if it’s a combination of the departure of Spirit and the fuel prices,” said Maggie Burnside, certified travel adviser with Fly Lansing Travel. “I would say it’s probably a good combo of both. They’re differently higher this year than they have been in previous years.”

Burnside said, for example, a Detroit to Cancun flight would have been in the $450-$550 range via Spirit, but a basic economy ticket with airlines like United or American is about $900, up from about $700-$800 on those carriers last year. Delta Air Lines fares are also higher.

“Delta is positioning themselves that way as the premier airline,” said Liz Andrews, certified travel consultant with Fly Lansing Travel. “Not that they don’t want that competition, but they want to give you more for your tickets than just throwing you on the plane.”

David Fishman, president of Cadillac Travel Group, said fares that were commonly in the $300-$400 range last summer are now often running between $600 and $800. He said airlines have reduced the number of flights on some routes to keep planes full and operations profitable.

“The traveling public needs to know that because of less flights, air fares will stay high, as well as obviously because of the fuel prices, and not replacing some of the flights as of yet for (Spirit) being out of the market,” he said.

Frank Holmes, CEO and CIO of U.S. Global Investors, said “the airplanes are still quite packed,” and that discount carriers like Frontier help support competition.

While Frontier is noted as one carrier seeking additional space, airport officials say they are also in discussions with other airlines within the Evans Terminal. They declined to identify them.

This week, a global art initiative is coming to the U.S. for the first time, and it will be hosted in Minneapolis. The “Beyond Walls” project started in 2019 at the Eiffel Tower in Paris by an artist known as “Saype.” They are large-scale art operations made in a very special way. He joined FOX 9 News at 5 Sunday about coming to Minneapolis for a week of art.