US ULCC Spirit Airlines will launch intra-California flights between Oakland (OAK) and San Diego (SAN) from May 25.

The OAK-SAN service will be operated daily with an Airbus A320 family aircraft. The carrier will compete with Southwest Airlines on the route.

The service will be the first new route Spirit has started from SAN since 2017. Spirit operates year-round flights between SAN and Las Vegas (LAS). It also operates seasonal service from SAN to Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Detroit (DTW) and Houston Intercontinental (IAH).

“We appreciate Spirit Airlines growing their service at SAN and providing another option for San Diegans to get to the Bay Area,” SAN CEO Kimberly Becker said.

SAN added in a statement: “Oakland is just across the Bay from San Francisco. Its urban and diverse neighborhoods are home to boutique shops that sell locally crafted clothing and items; restaurants, eateries and pop-ups that serve culinary delights represented from the multicultural population that makes up the community; and artists that provide the city with its creative expression.”

Port of Oakland aviation director Bryant Francis said: “We know that our passengers value easy, convenient and affordable flights between OAK and southern California. San Diego has historically been one of the top routes from OAK and the new Spirit flight is a welcome addition.”

From OAK, Spirit already serves ORD, IAH, LAS, Philadelphia (PHL) and Los Angeles (LAX) and Orange County (SNA) in California.

Spirit is in the process of attempting to merge with fellow US ULCC Frontier Airlines.