Originally Posted by
Noisecanceller
Anyone that thinks a 500+ airplane combination of Frontier and Spirit is better than the JetBlue deal needs to reevaluate.
https://www.denverpost.com/2023/07/21/frontier-airlines-lawsuit-hidden-fees/
ULCC will never be in the USA what it is in other parts of the world. Americans want it all without paying for it. But if you roll it into the price they will still pay for it. They hate ala carte. It’s kind of like free shipping. My wife pays for shipping all the time yet refuses to pay for anything labeled as shipping cost.
If you have more than 5 years before retirement then currently JetBlue is the best option for the long term viability of this airline and also the best chance for legacy money.
And ULCC will never be profitable when having to pay pilot wages where pilot wages are/heading. Even with record travel demand, NK is probably going to barely eke out a profit. High labor, parked planes, staffing challenges and ATC demands doesn’t work for an airline who sells cheap seats.
The ULCC model works on cutting cost corners whenever and wherever they can, salaries included. Labor cost as a percentage of revenue for a ULCC is astronomically higher than labor costs to revenue at legacy carriers. ULCC work great overseas where pilots make far less; but it isn’t as easy as “pay us more and raise fares” with Spirit and still be long term profitable. Spirit doesn’t have the revenue streams that legacy carriers do, which is one reason why wages make up such a huge percentage of revenue.
ULCC was great when I started and pilots were paid $125 to sit left seat of a narrow body, legacy airlines included, but thankfully those times are over and NK will not be able to compete and remain profitable as their costs continue to grow.
jetBlue, bring it on. Might not be the best for today, but it’s the best best for tomorrow.