Low cost Spirit Airlines Inc., which weathered a pilots' strike and a furor over bag charges this year, announced plans on Friday for a public stock offering.

The carrier, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it hoped to raise up to $300 million.

Spirit said it was poised for growth in its niche domestic markets and in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Underwriters were led by Citigroup Inc. and Morgan Stanley.

A spokeswoman for Spirit said the carrier would not comment on the offering beyond what was included in the SEC filing.