I don't care about the name or the paint, but I think Franke runs a tighter ship. I feel we've gotten a little to loose with the model. I'd rather have to put up with a little more BS than not be financially stronger. Whatever will happen, we're currently at a 65% overlap with F9, way up from the previous year according to Ted.

Whatever is going to happen we can count on being the last to know.

 

could you elaborate a little more on a tighter ship? I like what we have done. We are giving customers what they want (on-time performance, WiFi, and more comfortable seats) and still having low prices. You make customers mad they are not coming back. And isn’t that what Franky likes to do—cut corners?

 

I certainly don’t want to work for Franke, I’ve heard enough stories from the Indigo days to know that.

 

I can't give you specific examples that would change our casm but there's a reason for the sudden increase in overlap. According to an LEC member, Ted is concerned and it's making a big difference in us making a profit or not making one. Franke, like him or not is very disciplined and we now have a real competitor that can drive prices down further. If we want to be like JetBlue, we should go for it. Wether people are ****ed off or not most come back for price. Frontier is just getting bigger, as are we, but they can hurt us. If they do hurt us enough two things will happen, either they'll change the model and tighten the screws or they'll come after us in negotiations, make it harder to achieve a better contract, the second being much easier for them than the first. Couple that with a very undisciplined, lazy group and it's easier for the company to win that battle as well.

Just thoughts, maybe I'm crazy, just how I see it and what I've lived through. Franke would be no walk in the park, I get that, but product and how people feel about just don't concern me much because price, especially a cheap one, is a huge motivator for many people. Expensive fluff, not so much.

I'm not a CEO, just along for the ride and those are my thoughts. Obviously not worth much but I'm always happy to listen to others as well.

 

Even more confused now than before after reading this..."Wether people are ****ed off or not, most come back for the price." Are you stating we should go back to the Baldnaza ways of saying "what people say and do are two different things" and go back to telling people to F themselves, vs customer service? I sure as heck dont miss those days. I like the trajectory we are on and dont think being profitable, an ULCC, and providing customer service are mutually exclusive. I would personally say that I would hate to spend the next 20 years at a company that knowingly craps on their customers because "they will be back."

 

Another's thoughts . . .

I remember the days of working under Franke here. It was a GRIND. Every day, flights were late, passengers were constantly crapping on the product, on you, on everything. I'm not saying I want Spirit to throw out the model and try to exist in the 'in between' space that JetBlue tries to do (better than ULCC, cheaper than Legacy). My QOL went WAY up when Fornaro took over and focused on easing off the screws just a tad in order to improve the product.

As Jyri once said to me, "90% of the customers will be happy if their flight departs and arrives on time, and their bag is there at the carousel." I'm no fan of JS, but he was right on there. And it's applicable for employees too. Its hard to not dread work when you're constantly berated by your customers and your awarded schedule is just a suggestion, since you know delays will lead to re-schedules, which will lead to stress on you. Inevitably, though, you try to 'keep it in a lockbox', that anxiety seeps out into your time outside of work.

 

Well said.

 

Hope everyone likes flying to and from south Florida

Those Miami routes are aggressive to say the least, as a new destination

 

Holy ****! 30 new routes right out of the gate?! We’ll see how long they stick.

 

Let’s dissect this...

Is this big move Spirit going after Frontier in Miami or AA in Miami? Or both?