"C. Massey" wrote in message
According to their webpage, they started in 1980 as Charter One, based in
Detroit. 1992 they changed the name to Spirit Airlines. In 1999 they moved
to Miramar, FL.

Spirit Airlines started as a charter operator with a pair of Convair 580s
doing gambling junkets from DTW to ACY. Now it is the largest privately held
airline in the US.

D.