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Despite issues, Spirit Airlines still plans to launch Pittsburgh flights this month | TribLIVE.com
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Despite issues, Spirit Airlines still plans to launch Pittsburgh flights this month

Theresa Clift
Theresa Clift
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Dan Speicher | Tribune-Review
Spirit Airlines flight 183 to Ft. Meyers, Fla., touches down at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity Township on Tuesday Jan. 31, 2017.
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Dan Speicher | Tribune-Review
Spirit Airlines flight 183 to Fort Meyers, Fla., prepares to depart at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity Township on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017. The flight experienced a 29-minute delay.
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Dan Speicher | Tribune-Review
Passengers board the Spirit Airlines flight to Fort Meyers, Fla., at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity Township, Pa., on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017. The flight was 29 minutes late to depart.
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Dan Speicher | Tribune-Review
Robin Goodson of Fort Meyers, Fla., and her 11-month-old grandson, Thomas, wait for the Spirit Airlines flight to Fort Meyers at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity Township, Pa., on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017. Goodson, who flies monthly on Spirit to visit her daughter, said she has only experienced two major delays in three years of flying with the airline. Her flight departed 29 minutes late.
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Nate Smallwood | Tribune-Review
Marina Lane, 6, of Charlestown, N.H., left, and Gabrielle Wheeler, 13, of Dudley, Mass., wait for a flight in Pittsburgh International Airport. (Trib Photo)
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Nate Smallwood | Tribune-Review
Travelers go through security at Pittsburgh International Airport on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017.
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Nate Smallwood | Tribune-Review
Travelers wait at a terminal in Pittsburgh International Airport.

Spirit Airlines still plans to launch flights from Pittsburgh International Airport this month, despite growing issues with a pilot union, an airline spokesman said Tuesday.

The ultra low-cost carrier plans to start flights May 25 to Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Dallas/Fort Worth, followed by five other destinations throughout the summer.

Passengers have started to book seats on the Spirit flights, said Alyson Walls, an airport spokeswoman.

Spirit does not release booking numbers for individual markets, a spokesman said.

Spirit has filed a lawsuit against the Air Line Pilots Association, blaming absent pilots for the roughly 300 national and international flights the company canceled over the last week.

The union, which includes 55,000 pilots at 32 U.S. and Canadian airlines, says the cancellations are the airline's fault.

“Allegiant was able to work their issues out with their union so we're hoping Spirit can do that, as well,” Walls said.

Nine canceled flights from the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., airport, where Spirit is based, caused a near-riot there late Monday when about 500 people were crammed into Spirit's terminal.

Several Spirit flights from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe have been canceled since Friday, including a Monday flight to Orlando.

Spirit was recently ranked lowest for customer service for the third year in a row in an American Customer Satisfaction Index report.

The “bare fare” airline plans to launch flights from Pittsburgh International to Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas and Orlando in June and Los Angeles and Houston in July, which it announced in February.

All flights will be offered once daily, except Fort Lauderdale, which will be offered three days a week. Service to Myrtle Beach will be seasonal.

Since all destinations are currently served by the airport, the airport will not give financial incentives to Spirit, Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO Christina Cassotis has said.

Pittsburgh will become the ninth airport to offer flights from low-fare airlines Frontier, Allegiant and Spirit, Cassotis said.

The Associated Press and Tribune-Review reporter Jeff Himler contributed to this report. Theresa Clift is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-380-5669, tclift@tribweb.com or via Twitter @tclift.