Spirit Mulls Adding Smaller Jets
 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...l-airbus-fleet

April 17, 2018, 9:51 AM EDT
Spirit Airlines Inc. is considering adding smaller planes to its fleet of Airbus SE jets as the carrier looks for ways to expand its service.

The ultradiscounter expects to seek proposals from planemakers “shortly,” having completed an evaluation of the options, Chief Commercial Officer Matt Klein said in an interview. He declined to say when the airline might make an order.

Adding smaller planes, such as those made by Canada’s Bombardier Inc. or Brazil’s Embraer SA, would further Spirit’s goal of adding flights from midsize and smaller cities to popular tourist destinations. The airline already has plans to expand its fleet of Airbus A320-family planes to 161 by the end of 2021. Spirit had 112 of the single-aisle planes at the end of last year.

“We feel like there are some route opportunities that are not being properly served today,” Klein said Monday at the CAPA Americas Aviation Summit in Houston. Any aircraft choice would need to let the airline maintain the lowest cost structure in the industry, he said.

The evaluation could mean more planes from the Airbus A320 line, which comes in a range of sizes. Boeing Co., which makes the 737 family of jetliners, also is in the running. Spirit has said it wants to increase capacity by as much as 15 percent next year and in the low to mid-teens over the following several years.

Spirit’s planes now seat between 145 and 228 passengers. Bombardier’s CS100 can carry as many as 135 and the CS300, up to 160. Embraer’s E190 E2 can accommodate as many as 114 passengers, while the E195 E2 can seat a maximum of 146.

How about a A319 NEO? Why on earth would spirit incur the costs associated with adding a new fleet type. It's very costly and difficult.

Difficulty procuring Airbus slots.

Yeah, good point. I would have thought that opening the A320 production facility in the U.S. would have helped the backlog more, but I suppose the biggest factor is the slow rate of engine production. I understand both NEO engines are struggling to keep up with demand.

The engines are an issue, but actual production slots are the problem. Their order book is spoken for. I’m sure some leasing companies have some slots for sale. Are those slots priced at an acceptable rate, and are there enough of them to meet Spirit’s needs?

Should fit the budget since we have a cost neutral contract.:cool:

Makes complete sense. The CS300 has a lower CASM than both the A319 and the A320 (legacy versions) and it can accommodate up to 150-160 seats. With Airbus buying 51% of the CSeries program from Bombardier, I imagine we’ll see some joint offer at some point...

Again, for those unfamiliar with the CSeries:

http://www.worldairroutes.com/airbalticcs300.html

With up to 160 seats in a single-class layout, this ain’t a stretched CRJ...

With Boeing partnering with Embraer, the E-2 series are going to be flying too, in niches where the aircraft is most economical. Better at Spirit than a regional, and no, all regionals are not bound by scope restrictions (XO, for one).

As long as we fly them and the pay is where it needs to be GREAT!

Absolutely.