Spirit Airlines

Last updated

Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines logo.svg
IATA ICAO Call sign
NKNKSSPIRIT WINGS
Founded1983;41 years ago (1983)
(as Charter One Airlines)
Commenced operations
  • 1990;34 years ago (1990)
    (as Charter One Airlines)
  • May 29, 1992;32 years ago (1992-05-29)
    (as Spirit Airlines)
AOC # GTIA770S [1]
Operating bases
Frequent-flyer program Free Spirit [3]
Fleet size 202 [ citation needed ]
Destinations 91 [4]
Traded as
Headquarters Dania Beach, Florida, U.S.
Key peopleTed Christie (President & CEO)
Revenue Increase2.svg US$5.07 billion (2022) [5]
Operating income Decrease2.svgUS$−599 million (2022) [5]
Net income Decrease2.svgUS$−554 million (2022) [5]
Total assets Increase2.svgUS$9.18 billion (2022) [5]
Total equity Decrease2.svgUS$1.57 billion (2022) [5]
Employees11,000 (2023) [5]
Website www.spirit.com

Spirit Airlines, Inc. is an ultra-low cost airline headquartered in Dania Beach, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. Spirit operates scheduled flights throughout the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Spirit was the seventh largest passenger carrier in North America as of 2023, as well as the largest ultra-low-cost carrier in North America. Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2024.

Contents

History

Establishment and early history

The company started as Clippert Trucking Company in 1964. [6] [7] In 1974, the company changed its name to Ground Air Transfer, Inc. In 1983, the airline service was founded in Macomb County, Michigan, by Ned Homfeld as Charter One Airlines, a Detroit-based charter tour operator providing travel packages to entertainment destinations such as Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and the Bahamas. [6]

1990s

In May 1992, Charter One brought jet aircraft into the fleet and changed its name to Spirit Airlines. [6] [8] Scheduled flights between Detroit and Atlantic City began on June 1, 1992. [8] Scheduled flights between Boston and Providence began on June 15, 1992. [8]

In April 1993, Spirit Airlines began scheduled service to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and St. Petersburg, Florida. [8] Flights between Atlantic City and Fort Myers, Florida, began in September 1993. [9] Service at Philadelphia began in 1994. [10] During the next five years, Spirit expanded further, increasing service from Detroit and adding service in new markets such as Myrtle Beach, Los Angeles, and New York City.

In the summer of 1994, Spirit Airlines overbooked flights, and 1,400 customers' tickets were canceled. [11] The overbooking occurred because Spirit Airlines had given incorrect instructions to travel agents, causing those tickets not to be valid, even though the customers had paid for the flights. [11] In response to criticism, Spirit Airlines said it would make sure all paid customers would always be able to fly to their destination, even if Spirit Airlines had to book them on a competitor's airline. [11]

In 1996, Janet Patton became Spirit Airlines' first female pilot. [12] In 1998, she became the first female captain. [12] At the time, Spirit was utilizing DC-9 [13] and MD-80 aircraft.[ citation needed ]

Spirit initially had their headquarters in the Kennedy Building located in Eastpointe, Michigan, formerly East Detroit, in Metro Detroit. [14] It relocated its headquarters in December 1999, moving to Miramar, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. [6] [15] Prior to the decision to move the headquarters to Miramar, Spirit considered Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Detroit, Michigan. [16]

An old Spirit livery on a DC-9 11ef - Spirit Airlines DC-9-41; N131NK@FLL;30.01.1998 (5198215122).jpg
An old Spirit livery on a DC-9

2000s

In 2000, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) fined Spirit Airlines $67,000 for violating federal regulations on cabin and seat markings and placards. [17] Discrepancies were found in the marking and placarding of emergency equipment, passenger seats, storage areas and doors on eight of Spirit's DC9 and MD80 aircraft. [18] [19]

In November 2001, Spirit inaugurated service to San Juan, Puerto Rico. They implemented a fully integrated Spanish-language customer service plan, including a website and dedicated reservation line. [20]

In the fall of 2003, Spirit resumed flights to Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which were suspended after the September 11 attacks. Spirit began service to Grand Cayman, San Francisco, and Boston in 2006. In 2007, Spirit filed DOT applications to offer service to Costa Rica, Haiti, the Netherlands Antilles, and Venezuela.[ citation needed ]

In January 2005, Ben Baldanza was hired as the President of Spirit, with the goal of making the company profitable. In 2006, following an investment by Indigo Partners, Baldanza was elevated to the CEO role and held the position for 10 years. This included a complete transformation of the business model and a public offering in 2011.

In 2006, Spirit exercised options to order 30 Airbus A320-200 aircraft for further expansion. Deliveries began in March 2010.[ citation needed ]

In June 2008, Spirit Airlines made a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice) application to potentially relocate or lay off hundreds of pilots and flight attendants, and the closure of their San Juan and LaGuardia crew bases. [21] In September 2008, Spirit began placing advertisements on the side of aircraft, overhead bins, tray tables, seatback inserts and bulkheads. [22]

In May 2009, after more than four years of inconclusive negotiations between the airline and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), Spirit pilots overwhelmingly (98% of votes) voted in favor of strike action over compensation, work rules, and benefits. At that time, Spirit pilots were among the lowest-paid Airbus pilots in the United States. On June 12, 2010, Spirit grounded its flights when its unionized pilots walked out on strike, stranding thousands of passengers. This was the first passenger airline strike by American ALPA-represented pilots since Comair in 2001. [23] [24]

On June 15, negotiations between the airline and ALPA resumed. A tentative agreement was reached late in the evening on June 16. The tentative agreement, which Spirit pilots later ratified by a 74%, [25] brought Spirit pilots' compensation and benefits in line with comparable Airbus operators in the US. Flights resumed on June 18. [26]

In 2007, Spirit Plus was rebranded as "Big Front Seat" and business class service was discontinued. For an additional fee, a person could choose "Big Front Seat", or upgrade at the airport. In December 2010, Spirit Airlines introduced the Free Spirit World MasterCard. [27]

A Spirit MD-83 at Los Angeles International Airport. McDonnell Douglas MD-83, Spirit Airlines, LAX 2003.jpg
A Spirit MD-83 at Los Angeles International Airport.

2010s

In April 2010, Spirit Airlines became the first U.S. airline to charge passengers for carry-on bags. [28] They were later followed by Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines. [29]

In April 2012, Spirit refused to refund a terminally ill American military veteran, who had purchased a non-refundable ticket between Florida and Atlantic City before receiving orders from his doctor not to fly. [30] [31] The decision caused outrage among veterans' groups and the general public, some of whom threatened to boycott Spirit unless both a refund and apology were issued. In May, Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza apologized for how the situation was handled and personally refunded the man's ticket. The airline made a $5,000 donation to the Wounded Warrior Project in his name. [32]

In August 2013, Spirit reached an agreement on a new five-year deal with the Transport Workers Union of America, who represent the airline's flight dispatchers. [33]

In November 2014, Morgan Stanley named Spirit the top growth airline pick for investors. [34]

In January 2016, former AirTran CEO Robert L. Fornaro replaced Baldanza as CEO. [35] This prompted rumors of a merger with Frontier Airlines, [36] which would have created the largest ultra-low-cost carrier in the Americas. [37] Fornaro announced the airline would be teaming up with the Disney Institute to "create a common purpose and a fresh set of service standards", and changing policies internally to create a more welcoming environment. [38]

In November 2017, Spirit's on-time performance was second in the country, behind only Delta Air Lines, a significant improvement from December 2015, when it ranked last among thirteen airlines with 68.7% of flights arriving on time. [39] In February 2018, Spirit was the only airline in North America to make the list of the top 10 safest in the world. [40]

In May 2018, Spirit announced that they would be the first ultra-low-cost carrier to fit their aircraft with high-speed WiFi access that started in the fall of 2018. All of their aircraft were expected to be equipped with WiFi by summer 2019. [41]

In October 2019, Spirit Airlines announced plans to move their headquarters to Dania Beach, Florida. The new complex was planned to be around 500,000 square feet and will be equipped with flight simulators. The plans were changed in 2021 for the 6-story headquarters to be around 180,222 square feet, the training facility to be around 100,000 square feet and the parking garage to have 998 spaces. [42]

In December 2019, Spirit Airlines announced its intention to purchase 100 new Airbus A320neo family aircraft. [43]

COVID-19

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Spirit Airlines received $334 million in aid in the form of grants and loans via the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES). The money was used to fund employees until September 30. In July 2020, the company announced that it would put 20–30% of its employees on leave of absence in October. [44] In August, some pilots and flight attendants agreed to take a voluntary leave of absence or have their work schedule temporarily reduced to avoid layoffs. [45]

In July 2020, a passenger died of COVID-19 on a Spirit Airlines flight. [46] Spirit Airlines claimed it notified the Centers for Disease Control but there was no record of the contact. Passengers on the flight were not informed that they were around an infected individual. [46]

2022 to 2024 attempted mergers

In February 2022, Frontier Airlines announced its intention to acquire Spirit, pending regulatory approval, with Frontier Airlines stock as the surviving entity. [47] The deal would make the combined airline the fifth largest airline in the U.S. [48] [49] In July 2022, Spirit's shareholders rejected Frontier's offer. [50]

In April 2022, JetBlue proposed to acquire Spirit for $33 per share in cash, equivalent to $3.6 billion. [51] [52] In May, Spirit said its board of directors has decided not to consider JetBlue's proposal. According to Spirit Airlines, JetBlue's proposed acquisition would be unlikely to be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, because it would likely believe that an ultra-low-cost carrier being purchased by a higher-fare airline would increase fares for consumers. Spirit noted that the Antitrust Division is looking into JetBlue's strategic partnership with American Airlines for the same reason. [53]

In July–August 2022, Spirit's inflight Internet service, provided by Thales' FlytLIVE, transitioned to a new satellite to provide "the fastest Wi-Fi service of any US-based airline". The SES-17 high-throughput satellite from operator SES provides A320 and A321 passengers across all Spirit routes with connection speeds of up to 400 Mbit/s throughout their flight. [54] [55] [56]

In July 2022, JetBlue reached an agreement to purchase Spirit for $33.50 per share, with additional inducements for Spirit shareholders. [57] [58] The deal would have made the unified company the fifth-largest airline based in the United States. [58] On October 19, 2022, the deal was approved by a majority of the airline's voting shareholders. [59] The Department of Justice sought to block the deal, taking JetBlue to court over the sale. [60] In legal filings, the Justice Department claimed that the merger would result in "higher fares, fewer seats, and harm millions of consumers". [61] [62] The trial began in October 2023. [63] Following a trial, a federal judge blocked JetBlue's acquisition of Spirit Airlines on January 16, 2024, citing that the deal was anticompetitive towards other airline corporations and would harm consumers. As a result, Spirit Airlines' stock fell by approximately 47%, and the airline expressed concern over its future. Speculators predicted that Spirit may have to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection followed by a liquidation process if the airline could not come up with a growth plan. [64] [65] [66] However, on January 18, Spirit denied these speculations, stating that the company has no plans to file for bankruptcy and is currently looking for new plans to maintain its future. [67] JetBlue ended its takeover attempt on March 4, 2024, after a federal judge ruled the move would reduce competition. [68]

In November 2024, Frontier Airlines ended plans to merge with Spirit Airlines, and Spirit announced it would be preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection within weeks. The company's stock dropped over 50% and it will not reveal quarterly results as a result of the announcement. [69]

On November 18, 2024, Spirit Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, listing assets and liabilities between $1 billion and $10 billion. The company blamed mounting losses, failed merger agreements, increasing debt, and high competition. The company will continue to operate throughout the bankruptcy, and expects to emerge by the beginning of 2025. As a result of the bankruptcy filing, Spirit Airlines will be delisted from the NYSE. [70] [71]

Corporate affairs

Ownership

Spirit Airlines, Inc., is a Delaware corporation [72] that is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE :  SAVE).

The key trends for Spirit Airlines are (years ending December 31): [73]

Turnover
($m)		Net profit
($m)		Number of
employees
(FTE) [a] 		Number of
passengers
(m)		Passenger
load factor
(%)		Number of
aircraft [b] 		Notes/
sources
20141,9322253,72214.386.765 [72] [74]
20152,1413174,32617.984.779 [72] [75]
20162,3202635,15921.684.795 [72] [75]
20172,6444166,10024.283.1112 [72]
20183,3231567,11029.383.9128 [72]
20193,8313358,93834.584.4145 [76]
20201,810−4298,75618.469.7157 [77]
20213,230−4739,21830.878.8173 [78]
20225,068−55411,10738.581.9194
20235,362−44712,79844.181.3205 [79]

Headquarters

Spirit has its headquarters at 2800 Executive Way, Miramar, Florida. [72] It moved there from its previous Eastpointe location in 1999. As of 2016 there were 600 employees located in the office. Chris Sloan of Airways Magazine stated that the building was "nondescript low slung". [80] Sloan added that the interior, prior to a 2014 renovation, was, "To put it charitably, [...] a dump", but that employees felt ownership over the office. [80]

In 2019 the airline announced that it would move to a new headquarters of up to 500,000-square-foot (46,000 m2) in the Dania Pointe development in Dania Beach, Florida, spending $250 million. The airline anticipates that it will house 1,000 employees. [81] This headquarters opened for business in August of 2024 located in the Dania Pointe complex.

Business model

Under CEO Ben Baldanza, Spirit began a transition to an ultra-low-cost carrier, following a fare model involving charging for amenities that are often included in the base ticket price of traditional carriers. Passengers who wanted to customize their itinerary or seat selection paid an add-on fee for each additional feature, which enabled the carrier to earn ancillary revenue in excess of 40% of total revenue. [82] These included having an agent print a boarding pass at check-in versus doing it online or at a kiosk, [83] for any large carry-on or checked bags, progressive fees for overweight bags, selected seat assignments, travel insurance, and more. [84]

Controversy

Spirit Airlines has been the subject of numerous complaints, and to punitive actions by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). Most of the claims against the company were for allegations of deceptive advertising practices, customer service, and the airline's policies for charging additional fees at the time of purchase:

Destinations

Countries and dependencies served by Spirit Airlines as of September 2024 Countries and dependencies served by Spirit Airlines.svg
Countries and dependencies served by Spirit Airlines as of September 2024

Spirit flies to 83 destinations throughout Central America, the Caribbean, South America, and the United States. As of September 2024, It maintains crew bases at Atlanta, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Houston–Intercontinental, Las Vegas, Miami, Newark, and Orlando. [98] [99]

Fleet

Airbus A319 N507NK landing at McCarran Airport Mar 2012 (6804924980).jpg
Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-100 painted in the grayscale livery used from 2002 until 2007
Spirit Airlines Airbus A319 KvW.jpg
Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-100 in the earlier blue paint scheme, used from 2007 until 2014
Spirit Airlines Airbus A321-231 N677NK approaching Newark Airport.jpg
Spirit Airlines Airbus A321-200 in the current yellow livery, carrying the former "Bare Fare" titles used from 2014 until 2018

Current fleet

As of November 2024, Spirit Airlines operates an all-Airbus fleet composed of the following aircraft: [100]

Spirit Airlines fleet
AircraftIn
service		OrdersPassengersNotes
CPYTotal
Airbus A319-100 2—1012117139To be retired by January 2025. [101]
Airbus A320-200 58—812156176
Airbus A320neo 9134Orders include 50 options.
Largest operator of its type in the United States.
Airbus A321-200 26—812202222
Airbus A321neo 2545812209229
Total20279[ citation needed ]

Fleet development

A February 2020 fleet plan outlines 293 aircraft planned by 2027. [102] An order of 100 additional aircraft with 50 options was announced in October 2019. [103] [104] In July 2023, the airline converted an order of 31 A319neos into A321neos.[ citation needed ]

Historical fleet

The following aircraft formerly operated in the Spirit Airlines fleet:[ citation needed ]

Spirit Airlines historical fleet
AircraftTotalIntroducedRetiredReplacement
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-21 319951997None
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 619922003 McDonnell Douglas MD-80
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 7
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-41 21996
McDonnell Douglas MD-81 619992005 Airbus A320 family
McDonnell Douglas MD-82 1519982007
McDonnell Douglas MD-83 152010
McDonnell Douglas MD-87 120002009

Frequent-flyer program

Spirit Airlines' frequent-flyer program is called Free Spirit. [105] Spirit has a three-tier frequent flyer status program. The tiers are Free Spirit Member, Silver (Earn 2,000 status qualifying points in a calendar year), and Gold (Earn 5,000 status qualifying points in a calendar year).

Accidents and incidents

Notes

  1. ↑ on average
  2. ↑ at year end

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport</span> Airport near San Juan, Puerto Rico

Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (LMM), previously known as the Isla Verde International Airport, is the primary international airport of Puerto Rico serving the capital municipality of San Juan and its metropolitan area. Covering 1,600 acres, SJU is located in the beach-front district of Isla Verde in the municipality of Carolina. Named after Luis Muñoz Marín, the first elected governor of the archipelago and island, it is, as of 2023, the 39th busiest airport by passenger boarding, 28th by international passenger traffic, and 24th by cargo throughput in the United States or its territories. With 12,197,553 million passengers in 2023, SJU is the busiest airport in the Caribbean, where it serves as a major gateway into the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawaiian Airlines</span> Airline of the United States

Hawaiian Airlines is a commercial U.S. airline, headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii and a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group. It is the largest operator of commercial flights to and from the island state of Hawaii, and the tenth largest commercial airline in the United States by passengers carried.

Frontier Airlines is a major American ultra low-cost airline headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates flights to over 120 destinations in the United States, Caribbean, Mexico and Central America, and employs more than 3,000 staff. The carrier is a subsidiary and operating brand of Indigo Partners, LLC, and maintains a hub at Denver International Airport with numerous focus cities across the US and Puerto Rico.

EasyJet plc is a British-European multinational low-cost airline group headquartered at London Luton Airport. It operates domestic and international scheduled services on 927 routes in more than 34 countries via its affiliate airlines EasyJet UK, EasyJet Switzerland, and EasyJet Europe. The company employs circa 13,000 people, based throughout Europe but mainly in the UK. EasyJet plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tampa International Airport</span> Primary airport serving the Tampa Bay area, Florida, United States

Tampa International Airport is an international airport six miles (9.7 km) west of Downtown Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The airport is publicly owned by Hillsborough County Aviation Authority (HCAA). The airport serves 100 non-stop destinations throughout North America, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe across multiple carriers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orlando International Airport</span> Airport in Florida, United States

Orlando International Airport is the primary international airport located 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Downtown Orlando, Florida. In 2021, it had 19,618,838 enplanements, making it the busiest airport in the state and seventh busiest airport in the United States. The airport code MCO stands for the airport's former name, McCoy Air Force Base, a Strategic Air Command (SAC) installation, that was closed in 1975 as part of a general military drawdown following the end of the Vietnam War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Air</span> Regional airline of the United States

Hyannis Air Service Inc., operating as Cape Air, is an airline headquartered at Cape Cod Gateway Airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts, United States. It operates scheduled passenger services in the Northeast, the Caribbean, Midwest/Wisconsin, and Eastern Montana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport</span> Airport in the Miami metropolitan area, Florida, U.S.

Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport is a major public airport in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is one of four airports with commercial service serving the Miami metropolitan area. The airport is off Interstate 595, Interstate 95, U.S. Route 1, Florida State Road A1A, and Florida State Road 5 bounded by the cities Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Dania Beach, 3 miles (5 km) southwest of downtown Fort Lauderdale and 21 miles (34 km) north of Miami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palm Beach International Airport</span> Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, United States

Palm Beach International Airport is a public airport in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States located just west of the city of West Palm Beach, for which it serves as the primary airport. It is also the primary airport for most of Palm Beach County, serving the suburbs and cities of Boca Raton, Wellington, Boynton Beach, Jupiter, and Palm Beach Gardens. It is the third busiest airport in the Miami metropolitan area after Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport. The airport is operated by Palm Beach County's Department of Airports. Road access to the airport is direct from I-95, Southern Boulevard, and Congress Avenue. The airport is bordered on the west by Military Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Florida International Airport</span> Airport serving Fort Myers, Florida, United States

Southwest Florida International Airport is a major county-owned airport in the South Fort Myers area of unincorporated Lee County, Florida, United States. The airport serves the Southwest Florida region, including the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Naples-Marco Island, and Punta Gorda metropolitan areas, and is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection port of entry. It currently is the second-busiest single-runway airport in the United States, after San Diego International Airport, California. In 2022, the airport served 10,343,802 passengers, the most in its history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JetBlue</span> Low-cost airline of the United States

JetBlue Airways Corporation is a major airline in the United States headquartered in Long Island City, in Queens, New York City. It also maintains corporate offices in Utah and Florida.

Jet Airways (India) Limited, trading as Jet Airways, was an Indian airline based in Delhi, with a training and developmental centre in Mumbai. Incorporated in April 1992 as a limited liability company, the airline began operations as an air taxi operator in 1993. It began full-fledged operations in 1995 with international flights added in 2004. The airline went public in 2005 and in 2007, when it acquired Air Sahara. The airline was expected to re-commence its flight operations by the end of 2024, which would have made it the first Indian airline to be revived after ceasing operations. On 7th November, 2024, the liquidation if the airline was ordered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allegiant Air</span> American ultra-low-cost airline

Allegiant Air is a major American airline headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. The airline focuses on serving leisure traffic from small and medium-sized cities which it considers to be underserved, using an ultra low-cost business model with minimal inclusions in fares and a greater number of add-on fees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Iowa Airport</span> Airport in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Eastern Iowa Airport is in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wright Brothers Boulevard on the south edge of town, two miles (3.2 km) west of Interstate 380. CID covers 3,288 acres (1,331 ha).

InterGlobe Aviation Limited, is an Indian low-cost airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 63.3% domestic market share as of October 2024. It is the largest individual Asian airline, and one of the largest in the world in terms of passengers carried, with more than 100 million passengers carried in 2023. As of November 2024, IndiGo operates over 2,000 daily flights to 122 destinations – 88 domestic and 35 international, with a fleet of over 390 aircraft. It has its primary hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi.

ExpressJet Airlines was a regional airline in the United States that operated from 1987 until 2022. It was headquartered in College Park, Georgia. The company began as Britt Airways and flew exclusively as Continental Express, the contracted codeshare partner for Continental Airlines. The name was changed to ExpressJet at the beginning of 1995 as the company began acquiring regional jets, replacing its fleet of turboprop aircraft. Along with flying as Continental Express, ExpressJet expanded flying under the Delta Connection brand from 2007 through 2008 and again from 2012 through 2018. Service as American Eagle was flown between 2012 and 2019 and service under the United Express brand began in 2009. ExpressJet also flew an independent operation under their own brand in 2007 through 2008. When Continental Airlines merged into United Airlines in 2012, the Continental Express operations were added to the United Express service. In September 2020, it exited the fee-for-departure airline market and temporarily ceased flights after the conclusion of its contract with its sole remaining mainline partner, United Airlines. In September 2021, ExpressJet resumed operations as both an air charter provider and a regional airline under its own brand aha!—short for "Air-Hotel-Adventure." The brand's route structure focused on the West Coast of the United States with a hub at Reno-Tahoe International Airport, and scheduled flights began on October 24, 2021. The airline, including its brand aha!, filed for bankruptcy on August 23, 2022, having ceased all operations the previous day. In July 2023, the airline announced plans to relaunch as an air charter service using a single leased Boeing 777.

Vietjet Aviation Joint Stock Company, operating as VietJet Air or Vietjet, is a Vietnamese low-cost airline based in Hanoi. It was the first privately owned airline to be established in Vietnam, being granted its initial approval to operate by the Vietnamese Ministry of Finance in November 2007. As of its launch in December 2011, it became the second private airline to offer domestic service in Vietnam, as well as the fifth airline overall to offer civil domestic flights. VietJet Air is owned by Sovico Holdings, HDBank, other organisational investors, and individual stakeholders.

Indigo Partners, LLC is an American private equity firm which has a controlling interest in the American Frontier Airlines and Chilean low-cost JetSmart, as well as holding stakes in Mexican budget airline Volaris and European (Hungarian) low-cost carrier Wizz Air. The company had a partnership with Enerjet when it launched the now defunct Canadian ultra-low-cost carrier Lynx Air.

Breeze Airways, legally Breeze Aviation Group, Inc., is an American low-cost airline headquartered in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. The airline was founded by David Neeleman, who previously co-founded Morris Air, WestJet, JetBlue, and Azul Linhas Aereas. Breeze's operations launched on May 27, 2021, with its inaugural flight from Tampa International Airport to Charleston International Airport.

Many aviation-related events took place in 2022. Throughout the year, the aviation industry was recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

  1. ↑ "Federal Aviation Administration – Airline Certificate Information – Detail View". av-info.faa.gov. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Spirit Airlines to Open New Crew Base for Pilots at Newark Liberty International Airport".
  3. ↑ "Join – Free Spirit". www.spirit.com. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Spirit Airlines on ch-aviation". ch-aviation. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Spirit Airlines, Inc., 2022 Annual Report (Form 10-K)". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. February 6, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Spirit Airlines – History" (PDF). Spirit Airlines, Inc. August 1, 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  7. ↑ Nicas, Jack (May 14, 2012). "A Stingy Spirit Lifts Airline's Profit". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Wittkowski, Donald (May 30, 1992). "Small Airline Expands A.C. Flights with Jets". The Press of Atlantic City.
  9. ↑ "Spirit Expands Fla./Atlantic City Air Service". The Press of Atlantic City. September 5, 1993.
  10. ↑ Belden, Tom (April 12, 1994). "Atlanta-based Line Plans Phila. Flights". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  11. 1 2 3 Sangiacomo, Michael (June 8, 1994). "Spirit Airlines Pledges That Anyone With Ticket Will Fly" . The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio.
  12. 1 2 Bryant, Paul (April 9, 2021). "Commercial pilot, daughter team up to fly hot air balloons over Denton". Denton Record-Chronicle. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Three 99s earn United Airlines Type Ratings together" (PDF). International Women Pilots. The Ninety-Nines Inc. August 1997. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  14. ↑ "World Airline Directory". Flight International . March 25–31, 1998. p. 92. Archived from the original on July 18, 2014 – via Flight Global/Archive. Spirit Airlines: 18121 East 8 Mile Road, Eastpointe, 48021, Michigan, USA
  15. ↑ "Spirit Airlines Honored as 'Good Corporate Citizen of the Year'". Miramar Business Appreciation 2003. Business Wire. February 13, 2003. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
  16. ↑ "AS THE SPIRIT MOVES THEM". Sun Sentinel . August 8, 1999. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  17. ↑ "- SPIRIT AIRLINES INC | Violation Tracker". violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  18. ↑ "FAA To Fine TWA, Spirit For Violations". aviationweek.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Ex-employee of Spirit Airlines files suit on maintenance records". Skift. February 17, 2013. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  20. ↑ Melewar, T. C. (April 10, 2015). Corporate Branding: Areas, arenas and approaches. Routledge. p. 47. ISBN   978-1-317-95091-2.
  21. ↑ "New York Business News – Business, Money, Financial & Corporate News". NBC New York. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  22. ↑ Hugo Martin (May 21, 2010). "Are carry-on bag fees hurting Spirit Airlines?". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Spirit Airlines cancels all flights as pilots go on strike". CNN. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Spirit Airlines cancels all flights as pilots go on strike". CNN. June 12, 2010. Archived from the original on June 18, 2010. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Spirit Airlines pilots approve a new contract". Sun Sentinel. Sun-Sentinel Company. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  26. ↑ Johnsson, Julie (June 16, 2010). "Spirit, pilots reach deal to end strike". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Spirit Airlines World MasterCard® Credit Card". Bank of America. Archived from the original on September 20, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  28. ↑ "Spirit Airlines to Charge New Fee for Carry-On Luggage". ABC News. April 6, 2010. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  29. ↑ Gilbertson, Dawn (October 19, 2018). "Flying Spirit, Frontier or Allegiant? Here are 12 things you need to know". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  30. ↑ "Spirit Airlines' final answer to dying Vietnam vet seeking ticket refund: No". Fox News. April 30, 2012. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  31. ↑ Miller, Joshua Rhett (May 3, 2012). "Spirit Airlines' boss calls industry-high complaint rate 'irrelevant,' says dying veteran should've bought insurance". Fox News . Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  32. ↑ Miller, Joshua Rhett (May 4, 2012). "Spirit bows to pressure: Airline CEO to refund dying veteran's fare". Fox News . Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  33. ↑ "TWU Dispatchers Ratify New Agreement With Spirit Airlines". Transport Workers Union of America. August 20, 2013. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  34. ↑ Tuttle, Brad (October 29, 2014). "America's Cheapest Airline Looks to Make Flights Even Cheaper". Money.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  35. ↑ Mayerowitz, Scott (January 5, 2016). "Brash, fee-happy CEO of Spirit Airlines abruptly replaced". AP News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 6, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  36. ↑ "ANALYSIS: New Spirit chief refuels Frontier merger rumours". FlightGlobal. January 6, 2016. Archived from the original on February 18, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  37. ↑ Levine-Weinberg, Adam (November 1, 2016). "Spirit Airlines Gets a New CEO: Reading Between the Lines". The Motley Fool. Archived from the original on January 10, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  38. ↑ Martin, Hugo (November 18, 2017). "Spirit Airlines turns to Disney to improve its customer service". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  39. ↑ Martin, Grant. "Spirit Airlines Now Delivers More Flights On Time Than American Or United". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  40. ↑ James, Nancy (October 4, 2023). "Is Spirit Airlines Safe To Fly? – Spirit Airlines Safety Record". Airlinespolicy. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  41. ↑ "Spirit is first budget airline in the US to offer WiFi". May 11, 2018. Archived from the original on May 21, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  42. ↑ "Spirit Airlines Plans Smaller Headquarters in Dania Beach". September 14, 2021.
  43. ↑ "Spirit Airlines to buy 100 Airbus A320neo family aircraft". CNBC. December 23, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  44. ↑ Arrojas, Matthew (July 30, 2020). "Spirit Airlines prepares to furlough 20% to 30% of employees". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  45. ↑ "Spirit Airlines Reaches Deal With Pilots to Avoid Layoffs". TravelPulse.
  46. 1 2 Duncan, Ian (October 31, 2020). "A woman died of coronavirus on a plane. Her fellow passengers were never notified". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  47. ↑ "Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines to Combine, Creating America's Most Competitive Ultra-Low Fare Airline" (Press release). Securities and Exchange Commission.
  48. ↑ LeBeau, Phil (February 7, 2022). "Frontier and Spirit to merge creating fifth-largest airline in U.S." CNBC. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  49. ↑ Schaper, David; Hernandez, Joe (February 7, 2022). "Frontier-Spirit merger promises better deals and service; critics aren't so sure". NPR. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  50. ↑ Chokshi, Niraj (July 27, 2022). "Spirit Airlines and Frontier call off a proposed merger". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  51. ↑ Josephs, Leslie (April 5, 2022). "JetBlue makes all-cash offer for Spirit Airlines, complicating planned Frontier tie-up". CNBC. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  52. ↑ "JetBlue Submits Superior Proposal to Acquire Spirit,Positioning America's Much-Loved Airline as the Most Compelling National Low-Fare Challenger to the 'Big Four' Airlines" (Press release). Securities and Exchange Commission.
  53. ↑ Isadore, Chris (May 2, 2022). "Spirit rejects JetBlue's offer, saying it wants less lucrative deal with Frontier". CNN Business.
  54. ↑ "Spirit Airlines Completes Initial High-Speed Wi-Fi Installation, Takes Ultra-Low Fare Air Travel Experience to New Heights" (Press release). Spirit Airlines. July 13, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  55. ↑ Kirby, Mary (August 21, 2022). "Spirit's transition to SES-17 satellite capacity continues apace". Runway Girl. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  56. ↑ "Spirit Airlines Passengers Enjoy Fast Wi-Fi in the Sky Enabled by High-Powered SES-17 Satellite" (Press release). Spirit Airlines. February 22, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  57. ↑ "Ex-99.1".
  58. 1 2 Sider, Alison (July 28, 2022). "JetBlue Agrees to Buy Spirit Airlines for $3.8 Billion After Frontier Deal Dies". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  59. ↑ Koenig, David (October 19, 2022). "Spirit Airlines shareholders approve $3.8B sale to JetBlue". Yahoo!finance. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  60. ↑ Raymond, Nate (October 31, 2023). "US seeks to block JetBlue's Spirit Airlines deal at trial". Reuters. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  61. ↑ Bartz, Diane; Shepardson, David (March 7, 2023). "US sues to stop JetBlue's deal for Spirit, cites consumer harm". Reuters.
  62. ↑ Isidore, Chris (March 7, 2023). "US Justice Department sues to block JetBlue's purchase of Spirit Airlines | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  63. ↑ Raymond, Nate (October 31, 2023). "US seeks to block JetBlue's Spirit Airlines deal at trial". Reuters. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  64. ↑ Michaels, David; Sider, Alison (January 16, 2024). "Federal Judge Blocks JetBlue's $3.8 Billion Acquisition of Spirit Airlines". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  65. ↑ "US judge blocks JetBlue from acquiring Spirit Airlines". Reuters. January 16, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  66. ↑ "Focus: Spirit Airlines finds itself with few options after judge blocks deal with JetBlue". Reuters. January 16, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  67. ↑ "Spirit Air Says No Bankruptcy Planning After JetBlue Setback". Bloomberg Law. January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  68. ↑ Feuer, Will (March 4, 2024). "JetBlue and Spirit Airlines Call Off Merger Deal". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  69. ↑ Isidore, Chris (November 13, 2024). "Spirit Airlines shares plunge on bankruptcy speculation". CNN. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  70. ↑ Josephs, Leslie (November 18, 2024). "Budget travel icon Spirit Airlines files for bankruptcy protection after mounting losses". CNBC. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  71. ↑ Phakdeetham, Janine (November 18, 2024). "Spirit Airlines Files For Bankruptcy, to Delist from NYSE (1)". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  72. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Spirit Airlines FORM 10-K December 31, 2018" (PDF). Spirit Airlines. February 13, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 16, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  73. ↑ "Spirit Airlines - Annual Reports / 10-K". ir.spirit.com. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  74. ↑ "Spirit Airlines, Inc., 2014 Annual Report" (PDF). February 18, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  75. 1 2 "Spirit Airlines, Inc., 2016 Annual Report" (PDF). February 13, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  76. ↑ "Spirit Airlines, Inc., 2019 FORM 10-K Annual Report" (PDF). April 16, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  77. ↑ "Spirit Airlines, Inc., Annual Report 2020" (PDF). U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission . Archived (PDF) from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  78. ↑ "Spirit Airlines, Inc., Annual Report 2022" (PDF). U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission . Archived (PDF) from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  79. ↑ "Spirit Airlines 10-K Financial Year 2023" (PDF). Spirit Airlines. February 9, 2024.
  80. 1 2 Sloan, Chris (May 13, 2016). "A Look into Spirit Airlines' Frills-Free Corporate HQ and OCC". Airways Magazine. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  81. ↑ Pounds, Marcia Heroux (October 17, 2019). "Spirit Airlines to invest $250 million in new headquarters and move 1,000 employees". South Florida Sun Sentinel . Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  82. ↑ "Spirit Airlines tops global ancillary revenue per PAX rankings". www.frontiermagazine.co.uk. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  83. ↑ Satchell, Arlene (March 13, 2013). "Spirit to double fee for agent-printed boarding passes in April". Sun Sentinel . Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  84. ↑ "Our optional fees". Spirit Airlines. Archived from the original on May 9, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  85. ↑ "DOT Fines Spirit Airlines for Violating Price Advertising Rulest". US Department of Transportation. November 21, 2011. Archived from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  86. ↑ Martin, Hugo (November 22, 2011). "Spirit Airlines fined for how it advertised $9 airfares". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 30, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  87. ↑ "DOT Fines Spirit Airlines Over Handling of Disability Complaints". US Department of Transportation. January 27, 2012. Archived from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  88. ↑ Martin, Hugo (January 27, 2012). "Spirit Airlines fined $100,000 over disabled passengers' complaints". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 23, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  89. ↑ LeBeau, Phil (February 18, 2016). "Spirit Airlines triggered the most complaints". CNBC . Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  90. ↑ Christie, Les (April 11, 2014). "Spirit Airlines tops complaint list". CNN Money. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  91. ↑ Silva, Daniella; Cusumano, Anthony (February 8, 2018). "Hamster flushed down toilet after college student's pet denied flight on Spirit Airlines". NBC. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  92. ↑ Torres, María Paula Mijares; Rosenberg, Amy S. (August 3, 2021). "Philadelphia-area travelers are left stranded as Spirit Airlines cancels flights across the country". inquirer.com. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  93. ↑ Josephs, Leslie (August 10, 2021). "Spirit Airlines stabilizes after more than a week of travel chaos". CNBC. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  94. ↑ "Woman Urinates on Plane's Floor, Claims Airline Didn't Let Her Use Washroom".
  95. ↑ "Spirit Airlines Crew Refuses to Let Passenger Use the Restroom, She's Forced to Go on the Floor". July 21, 2023.
  96. ↑ "Route map Spirit Airlines". Flightconnections. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  97. ↑ "Spirit Airlines Booking mask". Spirit Airlines. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  98. ↑ Satchell, Arlene (June 3, 2015). "Spirit recruits hundreds of flight attendants". Sun-Sentinel . Fort Lauderdale. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  99. ↑ "Spirit Airlines expands again, adds new route to U.S. Virgin Islands". USA Today . Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  100. ↑ "On Board Experience". Spirit Airlines.
  101. ↑ "Spirit Airlines to Conclude A319 Scheduled Service in early-Jan 2025". Aeroroutes. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  102. ↑ "Fleet Plan – Spirit Airlines, Inc". ir.spirit.com/resources/fleet-plan. Spirit Airlines, Inc. June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  103. ↑ "Spirit Airlines to buy 100 Airbus A320neo family aircraft". Reuters. December 23, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  104. ↑ "Spirit Airlines finalises order for 100 Airbus A320neo Family aircraft". Airbus. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  105. ↑ "Free Spirit® Status Match FAQ". Spirit.com. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  106. ↑ Hradecky, Simon (April 4, 2018). "Accident: Spirit A319 at Boston on Jul 17th 2015, fumes on board, captain died 50 days later". The Aviation Herald . Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  107. ↑ Feldman, Kiera (December 17, 2020). "How Toxic Fumes Seep Into The Air You Breathe on Planes". The Los Angeles Times . Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  108. ↑ Sundby, Alex (November 11, 2024). "Spirit Airlines flight from Florida to Haiti hit by gunfire while trying to land, diverts to Dominican Republic". CBS News . Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  109. ↑ "Accident description for N966NK at Aviation Safety Network". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.