A group of U.S. Senate Democrats called on airlines to release an estimated $10 billion in full cash refunds for flights canceled by passengers owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
South Florida-based Spirit Airlines is seeking relief from minimum service requirements attached to the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, as the ULCC looks to suspend service to at least a third of its network amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Spirit Airlines, citing declining yields but not the falloff in bookings that most other U.S. carriers are facing, will trim its planned April capacity 5% and could extend the cuts deeper into the spring if necessary.
A senior Spirit Airlines executive defended the ULCC business model on Capitol Hill, telling U.S. lawmakers that Spirit’s low fares empower first-time and infrequent flyers to select air transportation over other forms of travel.
Spirit Airlines’ newly announced expansion from Austin, Texas is a “natural fit” to the carrier’s 2020 route strategy of connecting existing points within its network, VP-network strategy John Kirby said in an interview.
Spirit Airlines will prioritize increasing network connectivity over adding new destinations in 2020, marking a shift in strategy amid signs of route maturation across its network.
US ultra-LCC Spirit Airlines will fly from Fort Lauderdale, Florida (FLL) to two more destinations in Colombia starting in April, expanding its Colombian network to seven cities.
Spirit Airlines has firmed up an order for 100 Airbus A320neo-family aircraft with options to purchase 50 more, as the South Florida-based budget carrier looks to double its all-A320 fleet to 300 aircraft over the next decade.
Spirit Airlines will add fewer new destinations in 2020, as the Florida-based ULCC focuses on using new capacity to “connect the dots” across its existing 75-destination network, company officials told reporters at Spirit’s hangar at Detroit Metro Airport recently.
Spirit Airlines has begun retrofitting its all-Airbus fleet with newly-designed seats in a bet that passenger comfort can be enhanced without budging on seat pitch.