You guys really need to check the investor slides every once in a while
In the July 24 investor update, Ted explains what is happening and how it'll be better next year, this time for sure.
“In developing our summer 2019 plan, we tried a few things to improve overall efficiency and profitability. We reduced our pilot
reserve levels while at the same time we increased aircraft utilization. Many of the new routes we added had shorter than
average stage; therefore, in order to reach our utilization target, we also added a few more departures. These actions reduced the
buffer in the system to recover from adverse weather. Admittedly, we were over-aggressive in our assumptions about weather
disruptions this year which, when coupled with our changes, exacerbated the level of flight disruptions we’ve been experiencing.
We are pivoting and are adjusting our crew reserve levels and schedule design for the peak period next year,” said Ted Christie,
Spirit’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “While we are not satisfied with these results, we have a firm understanding of the
inputs driving the cost pressures. We are confident the refinements we are making will set us up well for 2020.”