Europe dominates in a new ranking of the world’s most beautiful cities, filling nine of the top 10 spots.
30.07.2024 - 17:52 / skift.com / Spirit Airlines / Ted Christie / Gordon Smith / Frontier Airlines
Spirit Airlines is making major changes to its passenger proposition. On Tuesday, the ultra-low-cost carrier revealed that it is moving upmarket with a series of new travel options. Spirit said these will “empower travelers to choose an elevated guest experience at an affordable price.”
The most eye-catching change is its move to attract more premium-focused customers. Branded as ‘Go Big’, Spirit’s new top-tier option includes a ‘Big Front Seat’, snacks, and alcoholic beverages. Other perks include a checked bag, carry-on, priority check-in and boarding, and complimentary onboard Wi-Fi.
A further all-new option is ‘Go Comfy’. The main selling point here is a guaranteed blocked middle seat. It also comes with checked baggage, priority boarding, snacks, and a non-alcoholic drink.
Spirit’s other fare classes are branded ‘Go Savvy’, which offers the choice of one carry-on bag or one checked bag and standard seat selection. Its most basic product is called ‘Go’, with almost all extras coming at an additional cost.
All four options have fee-free changes and cancellations as part of an earlier shake-up of Spirit’s ticketing policies.
Ted Christie, Spirit Airlines President and CEO described the changes as a “new era” for the company. “We’re taking low-fare travel to new heights with enhanced options that are unlike anything we’ve offered before. We listened to our guests and are excited to deliver what they want: choices for an elevated experience that are affordable and provide unparalleled value.”
The new travel options are available for booking from August 16, with the onboard changes taking place from August 27.
In terms of airport experience, priority check-in featuring a dedicated lane, will be rolled out at more than 20 airports from August 27. This includes major hubs such as Atlanta, Los Angeles, Orlando, and Newark.
For boarding, a redesigned process will see passengers assigned into one of five groups. Spirit says the aim is to reduce boarding time and enhance operational performance. This will also be introduced from August 27.
Spirit has had a tough 2024 so far. A proposed merger with JetBlue would have been a lifeline, but a judge struck down the partnership, arguing it would reduce competition in the industry and hurt consumers. It has also been exposed to problems with Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engines, that have grounded many of its planes.
More broadly, business models at U.S. low-cost airlines have been coming under pressure amid overcapacity concerns, rising costs, and a surge in demand for international premium travel.
Speaking earlier in the year, Christie described analyst speculation that Spirit could face bankruptcy as “a misguided narrative… advanced by an assortment of
Europe dominates in a new ranking of the world’s most beautiful cities, filling nine of the top 10 spots.
As someone who's traveled to over 40 countries, there was one thing I never checked off my travel bucket list: flying business class. I always walked past the lie-flat seats and dreamed one day I would be able to.
Landal GreenParks UK, the UK’s fastest growing company offering holiday breaks in nature, has seen a 24% YoY increase in summer bookings driven by longer staycations in the Southwest region.
Aug 7, 2024 • 8 min read
The Netherlands is famous for its capital city, Amsterdam, but the country has much more to offer visitors.
An anti-cruise rebellion is afoot in popular tourism destinations in Greece.
Pantone is just like us, in the sense that they, too, are setting their intentions for the year — one filled with strength and energy. The Color of the Year for 2023 is Viva Magenta, which the company describes as powerful and empowering. “Viva Magenta is brave and fearless, and a pulsating color whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration… [It] revels in pure joy, encouraging experimentation and self-expression without restraint.” A year surrounded by joy and self-expression sounds like a year well spent to us.
Aug 2, 2024 • 11 min read
Air New Zealand is pulling out of an international sustainability program. The flag carrier confirmed on Tuesday that it will abandon its 2030 carbon target and withdraw from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
The Olympics are big business. Alongside broadcasting rights, merchandising, and ticket sales, corporate sponsorship plays a vital revenue-generating role. However, from a travel perspective, Airbnb is the only company currently in the International Olympic Committee’s TOP – or ‘The Olympic Partners’ – Program.
Jul 25, 2024 • 8 min read
Friday 19 July was set to be one of the busiest days of the summer for Europe’s airports. But the world’s biggest IT outage had other plans for hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers.