Spirit Airlines facts for kids
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| AOC # | GTIA770S |
|---|---|
| Operating bases |
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| Frequent-flyer program | Free Spirit |
| Fleet size | 214 |
| Destinations | 91 |
| Headquarters | Dania Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Key people | Ted Christie (President & CEO) |
| Revenue |  US$5.07 billion (2022) |
| Operating income |  US$-599 million (2022) |
| Net income | US$-554 million (2022) |
| Total assets | US$9.18 billion (2022) |
| Total equity | US$1.57 billion (2022) |
| Employees | 11,000 (2023) |
Spirit Airlines, Inc. is an ultra-low cost airline based in Dania Beach, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. This means they offer very low ticket prices but charge extra for things like baggage or seat choice. Spirit flies to many places in the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. In 2023, it was the seventh largest passenger airline in North America. It was also the biggest ultra-low-cost airline in North America. Spirit Airlines filed for a type of bankruptcy in November 2024. This allows them to keep operating while they reorganize their business.
Contents
History
How Spirit Airlines Started
The company began as Clippert Trucking Company in 1964. In 1974, its name changed to Ground Air Transfer, Inc. In 1983, Ned Homfeld started an airline service called Charter One Airlines in Macomb County, Michigan. It was a company that organized travel packages from Detroit to fun places like Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and the Bahamas.
The 1990s
In May 1992, Charter One started using jet aircraft and changed its name to Spirit Airlines. The first regular flights between Detroit and Atlantic City began on June 1, 1992. Flights between Boston and Providence started soon after, on June 15, 1992.
In April 1993, Spirit Airlines began flying to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and St. Petersburg, Florida. By September 1993, flights started between Atlantic City and Fort Myers, Florida. Service to Philadelphia began in 1994. Over the next five years, Spirit grew more. They added more flights from Detroit and started flying to new places like Myrtle Beach, Los Angeles, and New York City.
In the summer of 1994, Spirit Airlines sold more tickets than they had seats for on some flights. This meant 1,400 customers' tickets were canceled. Spirit Airlines said this happened because they gave wrong instructions to travel agents. Spirit Airlines promised to make sure all paid customers would always be able to fly. They even said they would book them on another airline if needed.
In 1996, Janet Patton became Spirit Airlines' first female pilot. In 1998, she became the first female captain. At that time, Spirit used DC-9 and MD-80 planes.
Spirit's first headquarters was in Eastpointe, Michigan. In December 1999, they moved their main office to Miramar, Florida, near Miami.
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The 2000s
In 2000, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) fined Spirit Airlines for issues with markings on their planes. These markings help people find emergency exits and other important things.
In November 2001, Spirit started flying to San Juan, Puerto Rico. They also created a Spanish-language customer service plan, including a website and phone line for Spanish speakers.
In late 2003, Spirit restarted flights to Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. These flights had stopped after the September 11 attacks. Spirit began flying to Grand Cayman, San Francisco, and Boston in 2006. In 2007, Spirit asked the government for permission to fly to Costa Rica, Haiti, the Netherlands Antilles, and Venezuela.
In January 2005, Ben Baldanza became the President of Spirit. His goal was to make the company earn more money. In 2006, he became the CEO and led the company for 10 years. During this time, Spirit completely changed its business model.
In 2006, Spirit ordered 30 new Airbus A320-200 planes to help them grow. These planes started arriving in March 2010.
In June 2008, Spirit Airlines announced they might need to move or lay off many pilots and flight attendants. They also planned to close their crew bases in San Juan and LaGuardia. In September 2008, Spirit started putting advertisements on the sides of their planes, on overhead bins, and on tray tables.
In May 2009, Spirit pilots voted to go on strike action because of disagreements over pay and benefits. Spirit pilots were among the lowest-paid pilots for Airbus planes in the US. On June 12, 2010, Spirit stopped all its flights when its pilots went on strike. This left thousands of passengers stuck.
On June 15, talks between the airline and the pilots started again. They reached an agreement on June 16. The pilots later approved this agreement, which gave them pay and benefits similar to other Airbus pilots in the US. Flights started again on June 18.
In 2007, Spirit Plus, their business class service, changed its name to "Big Front Seat." This meant you could pay extra for a bigger seat. In December 2010, Spirit Airlines launched a special credit card called the Free Spirit World MasterCard.
The 2010s
In April 2010, Spirit Airlines became the first U.S. airline to charge passengers for carry-on bags. Other airlines like Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines later did the same.
In April 2012, Spirit faced criticism for not refunding a military veteran who was very ill. He had bought a non-refundable ticket but his doctor told him not to fly. Spirit's CEO, Ben Baldanza, later apologized and personally refunded the ticket. The airline also donated $5,000 to the Wounded Warrior Project in the veteran's name.
In August 2013, Spirit made a new five-year agreement with the union that represents its flight dispatchers.
In November 2014, a financial company called Morgan Stanley said Spirit was a top airline for investors looking for growth.
In January 2016, Robert L. Fornaro became the new CEO. He announced that Spirit would work with the Disney Institute to improve its customer service.
By November 2017, Spirit's flights were arriving on time much more often. They were second in the country, right behind Delta Air Lines. In February 2018, Spirit was named one of the top 10 safest airlines in the world.
In May 2018, Spirit announced they would be the first ultra-low-cost airline to offer high-speed WiFi on their planes. This started in late 2018, and all planes were expected to have WiFi by summer 2019.
In October 2019, Spirit Airlines announced plans to move their main office to Dania Beach, Florida. The new building was planned to be very large and include flight simulators.
In December 2019, Spirit Airlines announced they would buy 100 new Airbus A320neo family planes.
COVID-19 Pandemic
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Spirit Airlines received $334 million in help from the government. This money was used to pay employees. In July 2020, the company said it might have to put many employees on leave. However, some pilots and flight attendants agreed to take voluntary leave or work less to avoid layoffs.
In July 2020, a passenger died of COVID-19 on a Spirit Airlines flight. Spirit Airlines said they told the Centers for Disease Control, but there was no record of it. Other passengers on the flight were not told they had been near an infected person.
Attempted Mergers (2022-2024)
In February 2022, Frontier Airlines announced it wanted to buy Spirit. If this happened, the combined airline would be the fifth largest in the U.S. In July 2022, Spirit's shareholders said no to Frontier's offer.
In April 2022, JetBlue also offered to buy Spirit. Spirit's board of directors decided not to accept JetBlue's offer. They thought the U.S. government might block the deal. This was because buying an ultra-low-cost airline by a higher-fare airline could make ticket prices go up for customers.
In July–August 2022, Spirit's in-flight Internet service got an upgrade. It switched to a new satellite to provide "the fastest Wi-Fi service of any US-based airline." This new service offers very fast connection speeds for passengers.
In July 2022, JetBlue reached a new agreement to buy Spirit. Most of Spirit's shareholders approved this deal. However, the Department of Justice tried to stop the deal. They said the merger would lead to "higher fares, fewer seats, and harm millions of consumers." A judge blocked JetBlue's purchase of Spirit Airlines on January 16, 2024. The judge said the deal would reduce competition and hurt customers. After this, Spirit Airlines' stock price dropped a lot. JetBlue ended its attempt to buy Spirit on March 4, 2024.
In November 2024, Frontier Airlines also ended its plans to merge with Spirit Airlines. Spirit then announced it was getting ready to file for a type of bankruptcy. The company's stock dropped a lot.
On November 18, 2024, Spirit Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This means they are reorganizing their business while still operating. The company said this was due to losses, failed merger deals, and high competition. Spirit expects to finish this process by early 2025. As a result of the bankruptcy filing, Spirit Airlines will no longer be listed on the NYSE.
Corporate Affairs
Business Trends
Here are some key facts about Spirit Airlines' business over the years (ending December 31):
| Money Earned ($m) |
Profit/Loss ($m) |
Number of Employees |
Number of Passengers (m) |
Seats Filled (%) |
Number of Aircraft |
Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1,932 | 225 | 3,722 | 14.3 | 86.7 | 65 | |
| 2015 | 2,141 | 317 | 4,326 | 17.9 | 84.7 | 79 | |
| 2016 | 2,320 | 263 | 5,159 | 21.6 | 84.7 | 95 | |
| 2017 | 2,644 | 416 | 6,100 | 24.2 | 83.1 | 112 | |
| 2018 | 3,323 | 156 | 7,110 | 29.3 | 83.9 | 128 | |
| 2019 | 3,831 | 335 | 8,938 | 34.5 | 84.4 | 145 | |
| 2020 | 1,810 | −429 | 8,756 | 18.4 | 69.7 | 157 | |
| 2021 | 3,230 | −473 | 9,218 | 30.8 | 78.8 | 173 | |
| 2022 | 5,068 | −554 | 11,107 | 38.5 | 81.9 | 194 | |
| 2023 | 5,362 | −447 | 12,798 | 44.1 | 81.3 | 205 |
Headquarters
Spirit's main office is located at 2800 Executive Way, Miramar, Florida. They moved there in 1999. In 2016, about 600 employees worked in this office.
In 2019, the airline announced plans to move to a new, larger headquarters in Dania Beach, Florida. This new complex opened in August 2024 and can hold about 1,000 employees.
Business Model
Under CEO Ben Baldanza, Spirit changed to an ultra-low-cost airline. This means they charge a very low price for the basic ticket. But they charge extra for things that other airlines might include for free. For example, you pay extra for:
- Having an agent print your boarding pass (instead of doing it online or at a machine).
- Any large carry-on bags or checked bags.
- Heavier bags cost more.
- Choosing your seat.
- Travel insurance.
These extra fees help the airline earn more money.
Destinations
Spirit flies to 83 places in Central America, the Caribbean, South America, and the United States. As of September 2024, they have crew bases (where their flight crews are based) in:
- Atlanta
- Chicago–O'Hare
- Dallas/Fort Worth
- Detroit
- Fort Lauderdale
- Houston–Intercontinental
- Las Vegas
- Miami
- Newark
- Orlando
Fleet
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Current Fleet
As of September 2024, Spirit Airlines uses only Airbus planes. Here are the types of aircraft they have:
| Aircraft | In service |
Orders | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Front Seat | Comfy Seat | Standard | Total | ||||
| Airbus A319-100 | 2 | — | 10 | 12 | 117 | 139 | These planes will be retired by January 2025. |
| Airbus A320-200 | 64 | — | 8 | 12 | 156 | 176 | |
| Airbus A320neo | 91 | 34 | They have orders for 50 more of these planes. Spirit is the largest user of this type of plane in the United States. | ||||
| Airbus A321-200 | 30 | — | 8 | 12 | 202 | 222 | |
| Airbus A321neo | 25 | 45 | 8 | 12 | 209 | 229 | |
| Total | 212 | 79 | |||||
Historical Fleet
Spirit Airlines used to operate these types of aircraft:
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Replaced by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-21 | 3 | 1995 | 1997 | None |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 | 6 | 1992 | 2003 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 | 7 | |||
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-41 | 2 | 1996 | ||
| McDonnell Douglas MD-81 | 6 | 1999 | 2005 | Airbus A320 family |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 15 | 1998 | 2007 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | 15 | 2010 | ||
| McDonnell Douglas MD-87 | 1 | 2000 | 2009 |
Frequent Flyer Program
Spirit Airlines has a program for frequent travelers called Free Spirit. This program has three levels:
- Free Spirit Member
- Silver (if you earn 2,000 status points in a year)
- Gold (if you earn 5,000 status points in a year)
