Originally Posted by
Bluedriver
Spirit was solidly profitable prior to COVID, and that was while Spirit was a "growth" company. F9 is CLEARLY a "growth" company, yet it's stock has been beaten down to almost nothing because it isn't reporting meaningful profits. And even during the post -COVID strong domestic demand, the ULCCs and LCCs recovered the worst. So I don't think it's anyone's "feelings" that the ULCC model isn't scaling in the US, it is becoming evident.
Flying was risky in 2022 for all carriers. Many people were cancelled on and left stranded. So much so it finally seeped into public consciousness of the concerns on being stranded. Perhaps the perception that if that happens to you on an infrequent ulcc city pair you are more screwed than if it happens to you on a legacy.
If the ulccs can operate reliably for a dedicated period perhaps they can overcome that public perception.