JetBlue is celebrating winter early with a pre-Halloween sale that has one-way fares starting at just $49.
30.10.2024 - 18:37 / insider.com / David Neeleman / Barry Biffle
Budget airlines are starting to look very different from their traditional no-frills roots. High costs, razor-thin margins, and an evolving travel market have forced them to switch gears.
Low-cost airline veteran David Neeleman — founder of five budget carriers since 1984, including JetBlue — told Business Insider that some of these struggling airlines have failed to adapt to a changing industry, especially in the uneven post-pandemic recovery.
He suggested Spirit and Frontier, which haven't turned profits since 2019, should merge their businesses like Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines did earlier this year. That is, if they can get it past federal regulators. In January 2024, a judge blocked JetBlue's $3.8 billion deal to buy Spirit.
"I think there is a place for [ultra low-cost carriers] in the market, but Spirit and Frontier had overlapped routes, so they were competing with everyone else and each other," Neeleman said in an interview. "I think if they stop competing with each other, they could carve out a niche, though it won't grow at the same rate as before."
The Wall Street Journal reported in October that Frontier was considering another offer to buy Spirit in a deal that's been on-and-off for years. Frontier CEO Barry Biffle declined to comment on the story during the company's earnings call on Tuesday.
Neeleman also said that Southwest, Spirit, and Frontier could benefit from adopting new money-making strategies, like bundling fares, offering more premium seats, and flying fewer traffic-heavy routes. That's something Southwest plans to begin in 2025 as part of a turnaround plan spurred by an activist investor.
"They're already starting to do some of this," he said. "Instead of just nickel and diming, airlines like Spirit and Frontier are doing more bundling, which is in line with what we at Breeze do, and we've found success."
The still-in-service airlines Neeleman founded, like JetBlue Airways, Azul Brazilian Airlines, Canada's WestJet, and Breeze Airways, largely follow this idea. Neeleman is no longer a part of JetBlue or WestJet but is chief of Breeze and is Azul's board chair.
JetBlue Airways, for example, now offers lie-flat business class and free WiFi. Breeze has domestic first-class and reclining coach seats.
Historically, these strategies have been absent from the likes of Spirit, Frontier, and Southwest, which have stuck to all-economy aircraft with little choice.
Mainline carriers, hoping to keep up with their growth, flooded the market with heavily discounted basic economy fares in hopes of poaching customers willing to pay more for an assigned seat or more room.
"Basic economy outran the supply, but there are people that will pay up for an upgraded experience, and that's
JetBlue is celebrating winter early with a pre-Halloween sale that has one-way fares starting at just $49.
A getaway to warmer weather just got easier and cheaper.Avelo Airlines recently announced four new routes from the Orlando, FL area, and is celebrating with $46 fares. With the expansion of new routes, Avelo will be opening a new crew base at Lakeland International Airport, which is one hour and 15 minutes south of Orlando Airport, and one hour east of Tampa Airport, making it an alternative option for passengers visiting each of the two major Florida cities. From Lakeland, Avelo will launch service to Rochester, NY, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Concord, NC (which is near Charlotte, NC) and Manchester, NH (which is near Boston, MA). The low-cost carrier operates its flights from regional airports that are adjacent to major cities, which explains the Manchester and Concord airport options. Each new route will operate twice weekly, and Avelo states they are the only airline to operate direct service between each of the markets.
It’s a season of savings for travelers seeking flight deals.Spirit Airlines has dozens of flight deals with one-way fares under $50 to popular destinations including Las Vegas, New York, Orlando, and more. The lowest price spotted in the promotion was just $11, for a flight from Las Vegas, NV to Sacramento, CA. The airline also has a variety of $20 flights including Dallas, TX to Atlanta, or Los Angeles (LAX) to Las Vegas. The deals are listed on the “Popular Flight Deals” within Spirit’s website.
The Department of Justice announced Thursday that it would launch a “broad public inquiry” into the state of competition in air travel — the government’s second inquiry into the airline industry in just the past two months.
Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines are reportedly in talks to merge. Sounds like déjà vu? It is.
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