Swiss to introduce new Premium Economy Class

Swiss International Air Lines is to introduce a new Premium Economy Class on its long-haul aircraft fleet from spring 2021, to further strengthen its position as a premium air carrier. In a first step here, the additional travel class will be available in a 24-seat section on its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

In the medium term, the new travel product will be extended to the entire Swiss long-haul fleet. For Economy Class travelers seeking more inflight comfort, the new product will offer a totally new air travel experience. Swiss will be investing some CHF 40 million in installing the new seating class on its Boeing 777 fleet.

The new product will initially be available on the company’s Boeing 777-300ERs, with each aircraft offering 24 Premium Economy seats. In the medium term, the new product should be extended to the entire Swiss long-haul fleet.

Substantially more personal space

For Economy Class travellers seeking more inflight comfort, Premium Economy will offer a totally new air travel experience. The new class of travel will feature a newly developed seat providing extensive legroom and movement. “All in all, our Premium Economy Class travellers will enjoy a substantially stronger sense of personal space,” confirms Tamur Goudarzi Pour, Swiss’ Chief Commercial Officer.In introducing the new class of travel, SWISS is responding to a growing demand for an air travel product between Economy and Business Class. The decision to offer the new seating class has also been encouraged by the positive experiences with such a product at Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines, Swiss’ sister companies within the Lufthansa Group.

Introduction in spring 2021

Swiss will embark on the cabin conversion work required in winter 2020/21, and the new Premium Economy Class product will be available from spring 2021. Swiss will be investing a total of some CHF 40 million in installing the new seating class on its Boeing 777 fleet.

Top Copyright Photo: Swiss International Air Lines Boeing 777-300 ER HB-JNH (msn 62753) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 945980.

Swiss aircraft slide show:

Air Canada suspends 2019 financial guidance in light of Boeing 737 MAX grounding

Air Canada announced today that, following Transport Canada’s safety notice closing Canadian airspace to Boeing 737 MAX aircraft until further notice, the Federal Aviation Administration’s temporary grounding order and Boeing’s decision to suspend MAX deliveries to airline customers, it is suspending all financial guidance it provided in respect of the first quarter and full year 2019.

In light of the current uncertainty, Air Canada is suspending all financial guidance it provided on February 15, 2019 and February 28, 2019 in respect of the 2019 financial year. The financial guidance provided for the years 2020 and 2021 with respect to annual EBITDA margin (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and impairment, as a percentage of operating revenue) and annual ROIC (return on invested capital) as well as the cumulative free cash flow over the 2019-2021 period remains in place.

Air Canada continues to adapt a contingency plan to address the evolving situation and will provide updates as developments warrant.

Netherlands marks 100 years of aviation

KLM has posted this salute to aviation the Netherlands:

Aviation pioneers KLM, GKN Fokker and the Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) on March 14 jointly marked their centenary at the EYE Film Museum in Amsterdam.

At this location, precisely 100 years ago, the First Aviation Exhibition Amsterdam (ELTA) was held. At today’s event, speakers looked back on 100 years of Dutch aviation and forward to a sustainable future.

King Willem Alexander was on hand to mint a special commemorative coin, and Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen of Infrastructure and Water Management was presented with a special series of aviation postage stamps. There was also a flypast of modern and vintage aircrafts over the waters of the IJ, behind Amsterdam Central Station.

At the event, speakers commemorated the contribution these Dutch pioneers had made to international civil aviation and discussed the challenges facing airlines in the Netherlands, which are committed to operating in a smart, sustainable and economically viable manner. The King also met with students participating in a special challenge for the centenary year. The students presented their innovative ideas for a number of sustainability issues.

Economic impulse for the Netherlands

Over the past 100 years, the Dutch aviation industry has served as an ambassador and figurehead for the Netherlands in the global community. To this day, our industry continues to give a positive impulse to the economy of the Netherlands. The Dutch pioneering spirit has ensured that many hundreds of millions of people worldwide have been brought together, thanks to the efforts of our founding fathers. As Albert Plesman so aptly put it: “The ocean of the air connects us all.”

Impulse for sustainability

At the gathering, presentations were give on the development of international civil aviation and the challenges the Dutch aviation industry faces to keep flying in a smart, sustainable and economically viable manner. Major efforts are required to achieve this, both in the short and long term, which will see the sector pursuing innovations in technology, infrastructure and airspace utilisation.

Etihad Airways posts a loss of $1.28 billion in 2018

Etihad Airways has announced an improvement in core operating performance of 15% in 2018, 7% higher than forecast, on revenues of US$5.86 billion (2017: US$6.0 billion). The airline reported a loss of US$1.28 billion for the year (2017: US$ -1.52 billion).

15% improvement in core operating performance, on revenues of US$ 5.86 billion
4% increase in passenger yields, driven by capacity discipline, network and fleet optimisation, and growing market share in premium and point-to-point markets
3% reduction in unit costs, despite 31%higher fuel prices
17.8 million passengers and 682,100 leg tonnes of cargo carried

Since commencing its five-year transformation program in 2017, the airline has improved its core operating performance by 34% despite challenging market conditions and effects of an increase in fuel prices.

Etihad carried 17.8 million passengers in 2018 (2017: 18.6m), with a 76.4% seat factor (2017: 78.5%) and a decrease in passenger capacity (Available Seat Kilometres (ASK)) of 4% (from 115.0 billion to 110.3 billion).

The airline increased yields by 4%, largely driven by capacity discipline, network and fleet optimisation and growing market share in premium and point-to-point markets. Passenger revenues remained steady at US$ 5.0 billion.

Etihad Cargo recorded a strong performance for the year largely due to a lower cost base, a programme of efficiency improvements including the consolidation of the freighter fleet around the Boeing 777F, and a refreshed network focusing on core trade lanes leveraging Abu Dhabi’s geographical position to maximise freighter to belly-hold flows.

Cargo revenue for the year was US$ 827 million (2017: US$ 877m) with 682,100 leg tonnes carried (2017: 853,300 tonnes). Cargo Freight Tonne Kilometres (FTK) decreased by 21% (from 4.3 billion to 3.4 billion), with a 15.5% increase in yields.

The airline significantly reduced total costs by US$ 416 million to US$ 6.9 billion (2017: US$ 7.3bn). Direct operating costs were reduced by US$ 226 million (3.6%) despite ongoing fuel price volatility. Administration and general expenses declined by US$ 190 million (19%), mainly driven by lower indirect manpower and other administration costs.

Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Aviation Group, said: “In 2018, we continued to forge ahead with our transformation journey by streamlining our cost base, improving our cash-flow and strengthening our balance sheet.

“Our transformation is instilling a renewed sense of confidence in our customers, our partners and our people. As a major enabler of commerce and tourism to and from Abu Dhabi, we are intrinsically linked to the continued success of the emirate.”

Operational Highlights

During 2018, Etihad Airways took delivery of eight new aircraft including three Boeing 787-9s, four Boeing 787-10s and one Boeing 777-200 freighter. The airline’s fleet count at year end was 106, with an average age of only 5.7 years.

Following negotiations with Airbus and Boeing, revisions to Etihad’s forward fleet commitments were announced on 14 February 2019. Under these agreements, the airline will take delivery of five Airbus A350-1000, 26 Airbus A321neo and six Boeing 777-9 aircraft in the coming years.

Etihad added Baku and Barcelona to its global network in 2018. Both routes are outperforming forecasts. Frequencies were increased to several destinations including Toronto, increasing weekly services from three to five, double-daily flights to Amman and Rome, and 11 weekly flights to Male, Maldives. Additionally, Etihad introduced its 787-9 on flights to Cairo, Casablanca, Jeddah, Rabat, Geneva, Kuala Lumpur and Rome. In October 2018, the airline introduced the Airbus A380 on a second daily flight to Paris Charles de Gaulle. New 787-10 aircraft were introduced on daily flights to Jeddah, Beijing, Nagoya and Seoul Incheon. A seasonal frequency increase using the 787-9 was introduced to London Heathrow, boosting daily services to four during the busy festive season.

Etihad recently announced the addition of the 787-10 on its Shanghai service and the 787-9 on flights to Chengdu, Hong Kong and Barcelona in 2019. Etihad will also add the Airbus A380 on its daily rotation to Seoul Incheon from 1 July, capitalising on this route’s strong business and leisure demand.

A number of unprofitable routes were discontinued in 2018 including Tehran, Jaipur, Entebbe, Dallas / Fort Worth, Ho Chi Minh City, Dhaka, Dar es Salaam, Edinburgh and Perth.

The airline continued to forge important partnerships with other airlines and transport companies last year, including Saudia, Azerbaijan Airlines, Swiss, and Accesrail, adding to a growing list of 55 codeshare partners. Etihad has expanded its reach to more than 400 destinations worldwide by placing its EY code on 18,513 weekly flights beyond its own network.

On-time performance was 82% for flight departures and 84% for arrivals in 2018, making Etihad among the most reliable and punctual airlines in the world. Across its network, the airline completed 99.7% of scheduled flights.

Customer Proposition

Etihad continues to position itself as an airline of choices, embedding its ‘Choose Well’ brand in every part of the customer experience. The airline now provides greater levels of personalisation, with a particular focus on its inflight retail offering, unbundling of services and fares, and installation of new seating products – including a new Economy Space zone on much of its widebody fleet.

In the second quarter of 2019, smarter ergonomic seating and streaming technology will be introduced on the short-haul Airbus A320 and A321 fleets. The airline continues to refine its award-winning Business and First Class services across its widebody fleet, and The Residence on its Airbus A380s.

“Etihad remains a strong global aviation brand and a true representative of Abu Dhabi around the world. We are committed to developing commercially beneficial partnerships at home and overseas, creating a multicultural workplace which is an exemplar of inclusion, gender equality and innovation. This is particularly important in the UAE’s Year of Tolerance,” continued Mr. Douglas.

People and Organisational Development

Etihad announced a new streamlined organisational structure in July 2018, providing greater focus on its customers and its transformation.

Etihad also continued its development of young UAE talent. By the end of 2018 it employed 2,525 Emiratis, representing 12% of the total 21,855-strong Etihad Aviation Group workforce.

Mr. Douglas added: “At only 15 years old, Etihad is maturing as an acclaimed international airline, seizing opportunities and heading into the future as a pioneering leader. We will continue to offer superior services to every traveller while growing our global footprint, embracing technology, boosting revenues, and driving efficiencies and commercial excellence across the entire organisation. The benefits of these actions will be enjoyed by our customers and our people.”

2018 results	2018	2017
Passenger Revenue (US$ billion)	5.0	5.0
Cargo Revenue (US$ million)	827	877
Total revenue (US$ billion)	5.9	6.0
Core airline profit (loss) (US$ billion)	(1.28)	(1.52)
Total passengers (million)	17.8	18.6
Available seat kilometres (billion)	110.3	115.0
Seat factor (%)	76.4	78.5
Number of aircraft	106	115
Cargo tonnage (leg tonnes ‘000)	682.1	853.3

Top Copyright Photo: Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner A6-BLV (msn 39676) (Formula 1 – 2018 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 945301.

Etihad Airways aircraft slide show:

Ryanair Sun to be rebranded as Buzz

Ryanair still holds the rights to Buzz name and brand.

The first Buzz (below) was a British low-cost airline operating flights within Europe. It operated from 2000 until 2004 as a subsidiary of KLM and at the end, Ryanair.

https://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-1/Airlines-United-Kingdom/Buzz/i-69rh4gF/A

Above Copyright Photo: Buzz (1st) Boeing 737-3Q8 G-BZZF (msn 26311) STN (Pedro Pics). Image: 922485.

Ryanair acquired the assets of Buzz including the London Stansted airport slots and 8 Boeing 737-200 and 10 BAe 146-300 aircraft.

Ryanair restarted Buzz as a wholly owned subsidiary called Buzz Stansted.

In September 2004, Ryanair decided to close down Buzz Stansted and all operations were halted on October 31, 2004.

On April 23, 2018 Ryanair started a new subsidiary called Ryanair Sun in Poland. The aircraft carry Polish registrations (top) but do not display the Sun name on the aircraft.

Now Ryanair has decided to resurrect the Buzz brand and will rebrand Ryanair Sun as Buzz (2nd) (below).

Artist Rendition Image via Michael Kelly.

Top Copyright Photo: Ryanair (Sun) (Poland) Boeing 737-800 WL SP-RSR (msn 44799) DUB (Michael Kelly). Image: 945979.

Air Belgium drops its plans to resume the Hong Kong route, will fly to other cities in China and the Americas

Air Belgium (2nd) has made this new announcement:

A painful decision, but reasonable given the current market conditions

Air Belgium apologizes to its passengers currently holding a reservation. The company is contacting its Customers concerned and is immediately initiating the full refund process.

Niky Terzakis, CEO of Air Belgium: “The economical and operational conditions are not met to viably resume the service. It is a painful decision to make but a reasonable one when it comes to preserving our development capabilities and assure continued full employment.

China mainland still our priority along other projects to the Americas

Air Belgium is currently flying on behalf of legacy airlines with success. These activities are allowing the company to be acknowledged for its quality of services, reliability, agility and flexibility. Air Belgium employment level is also continuously increasing. In this regard, the company now has 248 full time equivalent employees, compared to 176 last October and continues to hire staff weekly. One should note that by the end of this month, Air Belgium will have carried more than 200,000 passengers.

As for further development of its own. Air Belgium is preparing to serve two destinations in mainland China from Brussels-Charleroi this summer. The company is also finalizing plans aiming at starting service to the Americas by next winter. In this respect, Air Belgium has obtained required approvals and access permits from the different American and Canadian authorities. Further communications regarding these developments and upcoming projects will follow in due time.

Top Copyright Photo: Air Belgium (2nd) Airbus A340-313 OO-ABB (msn 844) LHR (SPA). Image: 943610.

Air Belgium (2nd) aircraft slide show:

Austrian Airlines reports its 2018 financial results, gives 2019 outlook

• Expensive fuel: Adjusted EBIT down from EUR 93 million to EUR 83 million in 2018
• High demand: strong passenger growth
• Tough competition: CEO von Hoensbroech sees a challenging year 2019

Austrian Airlines, Austria’s flag carrier, generated an adjusted EBIT of EUR 83 million in the 2018 financial year, comprising a decline of eleven percent from the prior-year level. However, Austrian Airlines once again succeeded in setting a new passenger record. The airline transported 13.9 million passengers, up eight percent year-on-year. Revenue climbed to EUR 2.2 billion.

“We are pleased with the new all-time high in passenger volume. Despite competition from low-cost carriers, an increasing number of people are deciding to fly with Austrian Airlines. However, we are feeling the impact of competition on the earnings side. Moreover, the high jet fuel prices burden business results”, comments CFO Wolfgang Jani.

Business results in detail

After applying the rules contained in IFRS 15*, revenue fell mathematically by eight percent to EUR 2,178 million, as did total operating revenue, which also fell eight percent to EUR 2,255 million. However, adjusted for this effect, revenue and total operating revenue actually increased by five percent and four percent respectively. Operating expenditures declined by eight percent to EUR 2,172 million but rose five percent when adjusted for the effect of applying IFRS 15. This was largely attributable to jet fuel costs, which rose by 16% or a total of EUR 61 million to EUR 442 million. Accordingly, the “refueling bill” comprises one of the largest expense items, accounting for about 20 percent of total operating expenditures.

The adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (adjusted EBIT), the most important performance indicator in the Lufthansa Group, fell by eleven percent or EUR 10 million to EUR 83 million in 2018. As a result, the adjusted EBIT margin was down from 3.9 percent to 3.8 percent. Moreover, a special effect of EUR 40.5 million was reported in 2018, namely the changed accounting treatment for jet engine overhauls. Excluding this effect, the adjusted EBIT would have declined by 55 percent. Earnings before interest and taxes, which also includes book gains from sales of aircraft or aircraft parts, decreased by ten percent or EUR 10 million, from EUR 100 million in 2017 to EUR 90 million in 2018.

Route network: increased frequencies on long-haul and medium-haul flights

In terms of its route network, Austrian Airlines can point to a good track record with respect to the realignment of its long-haul destinations. As is publicly known, it terminated flight service in 2018 to long-haul destinations such as Colombo, Havana and Hong Kong which did not function very well, and increased frequencies on existing North America routes.

“This strategy seems to be working. The advance bookings for the summer of 2019 are looking very good”, emphasizes CEO von Hoensbroech. At the end of March, respectively end of April 2019, Tokyo will be included once again in the route network and the airline will also begin operating flights to the Canadian city of Montreal.

One million more passengers

The growth of the fleet and the improved product offering was also reflected in passenger volumes. In the period January to December 2018, Austrian Airlines transported 13.9 million passengers, which comprises a new passenger record once again since the airline was founded in 1957. One million more people flew with Austrian Airlines in 2018, a rise of eight percent. The flight offering in available seat kilometers (ASK) climbed by six percent. Nevertheless, the airline succeeded in more effectively marketing the expanded offering. Capacity utilization (passenger load factor) clearly improved to 79.3 percent from the prior-year level of 76.8 percent.

In 2018, Austrian Airlines operated a total of 150,963 flights using 83 aircraft, or an average of 414 flights per day. The regularity of operation was 98.0 percent, whereas the punctuality rate on arrival equaled 77.2 percent.

The total staff of the Austrian Airlines amounted to 7,083 employees as at the balance sheet date of December 31, 2018 (2017: 6,914 employees). The increase of 169 employees representing a rise of two percent is mainly related to the hiring of flight attendants.

Outlook 2019: A year of challenges

Austrian Airlines anticipates a challenging year 2019 due to strong competition from low-cost carriers at Vienna Airport and upcoming investments in aircraft, digitization of workplaces, devices and its product offering. “The #DriveTo25 strategy we presented will give us the necessary boost to earnings to enable us to make the necessary investments”, says Austrian Airlines CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech. “However, the strategy also simultaneously involves restructuring measures and investments. This will be accompanied by intensified competition in Vienna. For this reason, we expect a weaker year 2019.”

As announced in January 2019, Austrian Airlines plans to upgrade its medium-haul fleet with ten additional aircraft by the year 2021, investing a total of EUR 200 million. On balance, this will increase the airline’s offering in Vienna by more than ten percent. At the same time, Austrian Airlines will phase out its turboprop aircraft earlier than planned.

Top Copyright Photo: Austrian.com – my Austrian (Austrian Airlines) Airbus A321-111 OE-LBC (msn 581) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 927793.

Austrian aircraft slide show:

Thomas Cook Group will offer a larger fleet for the Summer 2019 schedule, Thomas Cook to introduce new “flat beds”

The Thomas Cook Group made this announcement:

•Group Airline with a total of four additional short- and medium-haul aircraft compared to summer 2018
•Three further Airbus A321s in service for Condor as of early summer, one additional A321 to take-off for Thomas Cook Airlines UK
•105 aircraft in UK, Scandinavia, Spain and Germany

The Thomas Cook Group Airline is taking delivery of two additional Airbus A321 aircraft, which will be added to the Condor fleet for the 2019 summer flight schedule. The jets will be in service for Thomas Cook Airlines UK from winter 2019/20 afterwards. The Group Airline recently announced to include two further Airbus A321 for summer 2019, and will have a total of 105 aircraft then. Its short- and medium-haul fleet has been expanded by four additional own aircraft in total compared to the previous year.

Two Airbus A321s fly for Condor and are stationed in Leipzig and Hanover in summer 2019. In Leipzig, Condor is significantly increasing capacity with around 100,000 additional seats to the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands, Turkey and Egypt. Another A321 is flying in Germany as well, the fourth airplane completes the A321 fleet of Thomas Cook Airlines UK.

The fleet growth is a clear sign for the Group Airline’s focus on operational stability during high season: “Using additional aircraft of our own is another measure to live up to our quality promise next summer, even during the high season”, says Christoph Debus, Chief Airline Officer of the Thomas Cook Group. With the additional aircraft, the Group Airline has further reserves available and has hired additional personnel on the ground and in the air. As part of an internal project, numerous other measures were implemented to ensure stable flight operations in the summer of 2019.

In other news, Thomas Cook Airlines (UK) on May 13 will introduce “flat beds” for its long-haul routes to the USA.

Video:

Top Copyright Photo: Condor Flugdienst-Thomas Cook Airbus A321-211 WL D-AIAG (msn 6590) AYT (Andi Hiltl). Image: 945978.

Condor aircraft slide show:

British Airways selects the 1973 Negus livery as the fourth heritage livery on G-CIVB

British Airways released this statement:

After much speculation, British Airways has today revealed the fourth and final design in its series of heritage liveries to mark the airline’s centenary – a Boeing 747 painted in the Negus design.

The Boeing 747-400, registration G-CIVB, entered the IAC paint bay at Dublin Airport last Saturday where it is being repainted with the first version of the Negus livery which adorned the British Airways fleet from 1974-1980, directly after the merger of BOAC and BEA and the formation of the airline customers know today.

When it initially flew, the Negus livery was the first time an aircraft had carried “British Airways“ since 1939, when the original British Airways Limited merged with Imperial Airways to form BOAC. Interestingly, the Union Flag is not present on the side of the aircraft as, like the final BEA aircraft livery, the flag began to be fully celebrated on the aircraft’s tailfin instead.

The repainted 747 will return to Heathrow and enter service later this month flying to long-haul destinations served by the Boeing 747, with the design remaining on the aircraft until it retires in 2022.

The Negus is the fourth and final heritage design to be painted on a British Airways aircraft following a British Overseas Airways Corporate (BOAC) liveried Boeing 747, a British European Airways (BEA) Airbus 319 and a British Airways Landor 747, all of which are already flying.

The special series of designs are being introduced to mark British Airways’ centenary, as the airline celebrates its past while looking to the future. Alongside the heritage liveries, all new aircraft entering the fleet, including the A350, will continue to receive today’s Chatham Dockyard design.

Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said: “Rumours have been circulating for quite some time about this final livery, so it’s exciting to confirm it is the Negus design. It’s particularly significant for us because it’s the first design worn by the British Airways that we all know today, with the distinctive lower case ‘a’ and the Union Flag on the tailfin.”

Below is a video of the 747 aircraft which will be painted in the Negus livery departing Heathrow for Dublin earlier this month:

In its centenary year British Airways is hosting a range of activities and events. As well as looking back, the airline is also hosting BA 2119 – a program, which will lead the debate on the future of flying and explore the future of sustainable aviation fuels, the aviation careers of the future and the customer experience of the future.

The airline will be working with expert partners to identify BA’s 100 Great Britons; the people up and down the country who are currently shaping modern Britain, and of course, the year would not be complete without some special flying and moments for customers.

The centenary activity is taking place alongside the airline’s current five-year £6.5bn investment for customers. This includes the installation of the best quality WiFi and power in every seat, fitting 128 long-haul aircraft with new interiors and taking delivery of 72 new aircraft. The airline will also be introducing a new Club World seat with direct aisle access later this year.

Editor’s Note: BOAC Boeing 707 G-AXXY was the first aircraft to wear the Negus and Negus livery in September 1973. BOAC and BEA merged officially on April 1, 1974.

British Airways aircraft slide show (historic liveries):

Below Copyright Photo: British Airways Boeing 747-136 G-AWNP (msn 20952) MIA (Bruce Drum). Image: 102983.

Spirit Airlines expands in California and Las Vegas

Spirit Airlines has announced it will soon serve its fifth destination in California, Sacramento.

Beginning June 20, 2019, Spirit Airlines will begin nonstop service from Sacramento International Airport (SMF) to McCarran International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas. The three daily flights will not only offer convenient service to the “Entertainment Capital of the World,” but will also provide dozens of connections to other Spirit destinations, including Columbus, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Tampa, Baltimore/Washington, New Orleans, and Philadelphia.

The announcement comes just a day after Spirit announced it would begin serving Hollywood-Burbank Airport (BUR) on the same date, June 20. The airline currently operates at three California airports, San Diego International Airport (SAN), Oakland International Airport (OAK), and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

The announcement will add to Spirit’s growing number of destinations from Las Vegas, a growth city and crew base for the airline. Spirit now averages approximately 55 daily departures from Las Vegas offering nonstop flights to 28 cities. As of July 2019, Spirit will have grown nearly 50 percent in Las Vegas compared to its capacity two years earlier and, in 2018, became the fastest growing carrier there.

Spirit also recently announced it would be launching service in Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, and Indianapolis, as well as expanding service in Jamaica, Denver and Puerto Rico. The airline is focused on investing in the Guest experience and delivering the best value in the sky, including the addition of high-speed Wi-Fi to its entire fleet.

Top Copyright Photo: Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-232 WL N626NK (msn 5999) FLL (Bruce Drum). Image: 104929.

Spirit Airlines aircraft slide show: