Ben Baldanza, who pioneered the modern ultra-low-cost business model in the U.S. and turned Spirit into one of the most profitable airlines, has died following a battle with ALS.
After the Justice Department said it would launch an inquiry into the state of airline competition, the airline and travel industries criticized the move as politically motivated.
Ever since JetBlue-Spirit was blocked, Frontier has declined to comment on whether it would ever consider merging again. But the deal makes a lot of sense.
Some Wall Street analysts had speculated that if Spirit wasn’t able to reach refinance or extend the deadline on a credit card processing agreement, then bankruptcy could have been on the table.
As ultra-low-cost carriers struggle to remain profitable, we'll hear from numerous executives at the Skift Aviation Forum on how the business can survive.
The head of an industry trade group sounded the alarm for ultra-low-cost carriers as airlines like Spirit and Frontier face declining profits. However, other carriers in the industry have seen some success despite industry headwinds.