SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP):

Spirit Airlines will offer direct flights three times a week from its Florida hub to St. Maarten as part of its Caribbean expansion, a spokeswoman said.

Flights begin April 20, said Rebecca Rivera, a spokeswoman for the Florida-based company.

PORT-AU-PRINCE FLIGHTS

Spirit Airlines announced last week that it would offer three flights a week from its Fort Lauderdale hub to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, starting March 22, with daily flights beginning in May. The company also will start offering five flights a week to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, on April 12.

The budget carrier said Tuesday that it has ordered 30 Airbus planes, nearly doubling the discount carrier's fleet size to 70 aircraft. The Airbus A-319 aircraft are scheduled for delivery between 2009 and 2013.

St. Maarten is the Dutch side of the Caribbean island shared with French-controlled St. Martin.