Demand So Far in September Leaves 2 Airlines Bullish, Sort Of
Skift Take
The CEO of Spirit Airlines is hopeful the carrier can get back to 2019 capacity levels by the end of next year. His airline focuses more on leisure customers than most, so maybe it is possible. But it still seems to be a far-fetched goal.
In typical times, the U.S. summer leisure travel season ends with Labor Day, when most students return to school. But this year, with a pandemic raging, two airlines reported September demand has been slightly better than expected.
This is not to be confused with recovery. Fares are low, and capacity remains far from planned, across all airlines. But with regular life on hold for many people — some schools are returning virtually, rather than in person — leisure travelers continue to fly, Spirit Airlines and Southwest Airlines said Wednesday.
"The post-Labor Day period has been encouraging," Spirit CEO Ted Christie said at the Morgan Stanley Virtual 8th Annual Laguna Conference. "I think we're starting to see the leisure traveler gain a little bit of confidence. And while we're still oper
