The ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines operated more than 44,000 domestic and international flights between June 5 and August 5, the peak summer schedule for the company.
Hot summer results
Today, Spirit Airlines announced its operational performance between June 5 and August 5, the peak summer season for the company. The airline set a record for its highest-ever completion factor during this period, with 99.2% in July.
During this period, Spirit Airlines operated more than 44,000 domestic and international flights; delivered a completion factor of 99.2% in July, which ranked number 3 in the airline industry across the United States, outperforming all major legacy carriers; it had a 25-day streak of 100% completion factor, setting a new record for the company; around 77.5% of the airline’s flights arrived within 14 minutes of scheduled arrival time, and Spirit opened two new stations during this period, Albuquerque (ABQ), and Boise (BOI). Finally, it also launched a new route from Reno (RNO) on August 10.
“These great results are among the best in the industry and are due to the relentless dedication of our Spirit Family. Our team rose to the occasion to serve record numbers of summer travelers and work through industry challenges to deliver a high-value experience for our Guests,” said John Bendoraitis, Spirit Airlines Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
Spirit Airlines operated more than 44,000 domestic and international flights between June 5 and August 5. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying.
Spirit results so far in 2022
Employing data from Spirit Airlines investor’s website and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), we can take a look at how Spirit has fared this year. Until May 2022 (the latest information available on the BTS website), Spirit carried 13.15 million domestic passengers in 2022, a 7.3% growth compared to the number of domestic passengers it had in the same period in 2019 (12.12 million). Internationally, the data from BTS is not updated so we can only see the number of international passengers Spirit had between January and February (575,039 travelers).
In the first half of the year, Spirit Airlines had US$2.33 billion in total operating revenue, a 24.9% growth compared to the same period in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, despite that increase in revenues, the airline posted a US$256 million net loss due to a 60.2% increase in the operating expenses, mainly aircraft fuel (87.5% increase compared to 2019).
When speaking about the second quarter results, Ted Christie, Spirit’s President, and Chief Executive Officer said,
“Top line revenue growth in the second quarter of 2022 exceeded our expectations, driving a better-than-expected adjusted pre-tax margin despite much higher than anticipated fuel prices. On the operations side, following a rough start to the quarter, we implemented key operational changes and quickly saw meaningful improvements in our operational reliability and recoverability. The robust demand for leisure travel during the peak summer period resulted in busy airports and high load factors.”
Between January and May 2022, Spirit Airlines carried 13.15 million domestic passengers. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying.
Launching new flights from Reno
Earlier this month, Spirit Airlines launched a new non-stop flight from Reno, flying twice daily between this destination and Las Vegas (LAS). Currently, Spirit flies from 20 US cities to Reno, including Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Newark, Oakland, Orange County, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, Seattle, and Tampa.