Thank our grandkids. They're the ones paying for it.

 

This is exactly how I saw it.

I was happily sitting at Frontier but wanting to see how the ULCC model survived a downturn. Covid was obviously way worse than I ever expected but Frontier and Spirit seem to have survived better than the big boys.

I'm obviously staying at Frontier now!

 

Everyone should know at this point that they wont be paying for it.

 

There is definitely room for Spirit to grow their market share. However, I do think their growth can only go so far. Don’t take this next comment personally as it has zero to do with the pilots: A lot of people out there hate spirit and will pay more to not fly on them. Just saying. But I agree they will make ground on those customers who chose the basic economy on legacies and those trying to save a buck.

 

It’s not just about growing new routes or destinations, but adding frequency to current ones. We use to have many routes that we serve 1 flight a day. If that flight cancels, it’s a nightmare when it comes to rebooking those affected passengers.

 

I don’t completely disagree. The same can be said for Frontier. However, there was a time in the not too distant past that a lot of people preferred a “traditional” airline over SWA. What was the saying? “Every time a Southwest jet takes off there’s an empty trailer park somewhere”?

The biggest gripe I get from people when they find out that I fly for Frontier (and the same holds for Spirit complaints) is lack of flight frequency and the “nickel and dime” pricing. The first will likely be solved in time as both airlines grow. Neither will ever have legacy level six flight per day between city pairs, but even twice a day to popular locations could ease some passenger apprehension. The latter is a complaint that I’ve been hearing less and less. I do believe people are starting to understand that it’s a “pay for what you use” model, not a “milk the passenger” model. Why be forced to pay for an appetizer if you don’t want, or plan to eat, the appetizer when you go to a restaurant? Many people will eventually realize that bags don’t ever fly for free, just as they began to understand that “More direct flights than any other airline” does not mean “More nonstop flights...”.

 

And in truth, the Big Three have done a pretty good job of locking up gate space at their hubs with legions of RJs, but the decreased flying (and especially decreased international and business flying) caused by the pandemic has been an opportunity for the ULCCs to get a foot (or two) into airports that were long closed to them due to gate restraints. That will permit more frequent ULCC flights.

 

I get that, but as others pointed out, SWA had the
same issues. Luckily for Spirit, 2/3 of the legacy carriers usually sit DFL in performance and overall ratings. So any apprehension some people might have about the product can be solved based on the more expensive Legacy alternative who will get you there with less reliable and in the same uncomfortable seat, just for more money.

 

That’s a very good point and a metric I didn’t consider.

 

Right.

Frontier already serves over 100 destinations. We don't need any new cities, we need frequency