5/18/2021 ULCC Showdown: How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying https://simpleflying.com/us-ulcc-first-quarter-2021/ 1/16 ULCC Showdown: How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers by Jay Singh · May 17, 2021 · 4 minute read ADVERTISEMENT With the rst quarter over, ultra-low-cost carriers are expecting a better summer ahead. The four large US ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCC) have come o the heels of an improving rst quarter and are emboldened the approaching summer. Here’s a look at how the airlines performed in the rst quarter. 8 shares ·
Transcript
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
ULCC Showdown How TheFirst Quarter ComparedAmong US Carriersby Jay Singh middot May 17 2021 middot 4 minute read
ADVERTISEMENT
With the rst quarter over ultra-low-cost carriers are expecting a better summerahead The four large US ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCC) have come o the heels of animproving rst quarter and are emboldened the approaching summer Herersquos a lookat how the airlines performed in the rst quarter
8 shares middot
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Frontier Airlines is one of the largest ULCCs in the US Photo Getty Images
The four major ULCCsFor the purposes of this article we will consider the following four publicly tradedairlines
Allegiant AirFrontier AirlinesSpirit AirlinesSun Country Airlines
All four sell unbundled fares and outt their aircraft in a single-class congurationWhile Spirit Airlines does have a ldquoBig Front Seatrdquo product it is not branded as aseparate cabin and is an ancillary seat option Passengers booking a ldquoBig Front Seatrdquodo not receive complimentary extras that a rst class or premium economy passengerwould get on any other itinerary
ADVERTISEMENT
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Stay informed Sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests
Net financial resultsOn the basic level the four airlines reported dierent net losses or prots in the rstquarter From best to worst they are
1 Sun Country Airlines $124 million prot2 Allegiant Air $69 million prot3 Frontier Airlines ($91 million) loss4 Spirit Airlines ($1123 million) loss
Sun Country pulling ahead is not too much of a surprise The airline has a diverseoperating model that looks at both charters scheduled service and cargo ying forAmazon This provides more revenue streams and especially with cargo morestability
ADVERTISEMENT
Unpack fast WiFi speeds faster than a Gig
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Sun Country Airlines posted the best nancial result of the ULCCs Photo Getty Images
Fleet sizeBy the number of planes in each airlinersquos eet at the end of the rst quarter herersquoswhere they shake out
1 Spirit Airlines 159 aircraft2 Frontier Airlines 107 aircraft3 Allegiant Air 100 aircraft4 Sun Country 43 aircraft (including 12 operated for Amazon)
Spirit Frontier and Allegiant all rely on the Airbus A320 family of jets Sun Countryinstead ies the Boeing 737 family Sun Country and Allegiant prefer to acquire mid-life used aircraft Spirit and Frontier meanwhile have moved toward taking newerAirbus A320neo family of aircraft to pursue fuel savings and lower maintenance costs
ADVERTISEMENT
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Spirit Airlines is the largest of the four airlines by eet size Photo Getty Images
Spirit is the largest of the four airlines though this is not surprising The airline hasgrown immensely over the last few years and has over 125 aircraft on order stillFrontier similarly has a large order book of over 150 aircraft Allegiant and SunCountry prefer to buy aircraft in small numbers at attractive prices
CapacityMeasured in available seat miles (ASMs) here is how much capacity each airline ewin the rst quarter
1 Spirit 79761580002 Frontier 45920000003 Allegiant 40139890004 Sun Country 1158012000
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Spirit Airlines ran away with the win in this category However these statistics do notmean that other airlines are cowering or shrinking their networks due to thecompetition Instead Frontier Allegiant and Sun Country operate mostly on a lowerutilization and frequency model
ADVERTISEMENT
Spirit ew more capacity than its ULCC peers Photo Getty Images
Where Spirit will try to serve its destinations and routes daily or more the other threeairlines will target routes with perhaps a few ights per week These airlines also tendto utilize their aircraft for fewer hours of the day
Load factor
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
An airlinersquos load factor is a measure of the percentage of available seats that an airlinesold in a given period of time A higher load factor means that a carrier has sold moreof its seats Herersquos how the four airlines ranked on loads
1 Spirit 7212 Frontier 6993 Sun Country 6694 Allegiant 553
Spirit Frontier and Sun Country were all relatively close in terms of load factorAllegiant fell slightly behind though this can be attributed to the demandenvironment Allegiant targeted network expansion when most other airlines sat tightawaiting the summer months
ADVERTISEMENT
Spirit also took rst place in terms of load factor Photo Getty Images
We customize You could save $947
Ad by Liberty Mutual Insurance See More
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
However load factor does not necessarily equate to protability Allegiant wasprotable in the rst quarter despite recording a lower load factor Spirit on the otherhand was not
CASMCost per available seat mile (CASM) is an important industry metric It can help provideinformation about an airlinersquos operating costs and eciencies Airlines want this to beas low as possiblendash especially ULCCs Expressed in cents below is how the airlinersquosranked on CASM excluding fuel
1 Allegiant Air 428 cents2 Frontier Airlines 607 cents3 Sun Country 615 cents4 Spirit Airlines 740 cents
ULCCs typically target a CASM below six cents Frontier and Sun Country are close tothat metric while Spirit has some work to do As Spiritrsquos capacity comes backhowever its CASM should go down
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Allegiant Air had the lowest CASM of the ULCCs Photo Getty Images
CASM includes things such as structural costs If an airlinersquos structural costs stay at orelse increase marginally upon a greater increase in capacity this leads to a decrease incosts
Base fare per passengerULCCs sell unbundled fares That means that passengers who choose not to purchaseany ancillaries walk away with a seat and nothing else The base fare often helps lurein passengers who then purchase ancillaries Here is a measure of the average basefare per passenger ight segment
1 Sun Country $98772 Allegiant Air $58383 Spirit Airlines $31844 Frontier Airlines $3083
Just based on geography Sun Country is ying many routes that are longer than whatSpirit or Frontier ies Allegiant also ies some longer segments leading to higherfares for both of those airlines Spirit and Frontier are also carriers that try tostimulate some more demand with lower fares
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
In rst place on base fare was Sun Country Photo Sun Country Airlines
Ancillary fares per passengerThis is a key metric for ULCCs The higher an airlinersquos ancillary spend the greater itssuccess in selling its additional non-fare products to its customers Herersquos what airlinesrecorded
1 Allegiant Air $57972 Spirit Airlines $52433 Frontier Airlines $49754 Sun Country $4298
Ancillary spend has in general held up better than fare spend Passengers may needto be tempted in with low fares but they are still purchasing bags seats or perhapsight exibility that contributes to ancillary spending
Sun Country Airlines gives its passengers just a few more perks than Allegiant or Spiritso its ancillary spend per passenger is a little lower But it is not that far o from otherairlines and the carrier can start to try and push that ancillary spend upwards
Were you surprised by any of the results from these ULCCs Which ULCC is yourfavorite to y with Let us know in the comments
ADVERTISEMENT
8 SHARE TWEET SHARE SHARE
Jay Singh
Deputy Content Manager amp Lead US Journalist - Jayrsquos extensive travelsand experience with premium products has given him incredible insightinto the wider landscape of commercial aviation Cited by TIME andIntelligent Aerospace among others and interviewed by major outlet
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
NPR Jayrsquos focus on route planning and eet developments allow him todig deeper into the stories behind the headlines Based in WashingtonDC United States Follow him on social media for all his latest travelupdates
Allegiant Wants To Hire 184 Pilots InThe Coming MonthsAndrew Curran
What Is The Secret Behind AllegiantAnd Sun Countryrsquos SuccessJay Singh
Allegiant Air Is Not Concerned AboutBreeze AirwaysJay Singh
A Look At Frontierrsquos SouthernCalifornia ExpansionJay Singh
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Frontier Airlines Embarks On AnotherRound Of Network ExpansionJay Singh
US Winners Frontier And AllegiantLead The Airline Recovery PushJames Pearson
AdChoices Sponsored
United AirlinesMakes Huge Julyhellip
Sushi
Itrsquos not ONLY Unitedwith mask mandateshellip
6Top Comment
Why Do AirlineCaptains Sit On Thhellip
Alan1137
I have always beenaware that the captaihellip
6Top Comment
Your voice matters Discussions are moderated for civility Read our guidelines here
Conversation 1 Comment
Commenting as Guest Log In
What do you think
Sort by Newest
I IceCat 2K Points1 day ago
Some concerns about Sun CountryThe average base fare dropped from $140 to $99Fuel cost in higher Total revenue per ASM is down 25 If the cargo revenue of $215m which is all prot is taken away SY loss would have been in the neighborhood of $335m Sun Country is not well known outside of the Minnesota area just wondering if some of these crazy routes that have been announced will not be successful and be a drag on the earnings Allegiant will be just ne Frontier looks like they are still employing the throwing darts at a map and Spirit might be expanding to much to fast
2Reply
Powered by Terms | Privacy | Feedback
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Frontier Airlines is one of the largest ULCCs in the US Photo Getty Images
The four major ULCCsFor the purposes of this article we will consider the following four publicly tradedairlines
Allegiant AirFrontier AirlinesSpirit AirlinesSun Country Airlines
All four sell unbundled fares and outt their aircraft in a single-class congurationWhile Spirit Airlines does have a ldquoBig Front Seatrdquo product it is not branded as aseparate cabin and is an ancillary seat option Passengers booking a ldquoBig Front Seatrdquodo not receive complimentary extras that a rst class or premium economy passengerwould get on any other itinerary
ADVERTISEMENT
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Stay informed Sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests
Net financial resultsOn the basic level the four airlines reported dierent net losses or prots in the rstquarter From best to worst they are
1 Sun Country Airlines $124 million prot2 Allegiant Air $69 million prot3 Frontier Airlines ($91 million) loss4 Spirit Airlines ($1123 million) loss
Sun Country pulling ahead is not too much of a surprise The airline has a diverseoperating model that looks at both charters scheduled service and cargo ying forAmazon This provides more revenue streams and especially with cargo morestability
ADVERTISEMENT
Unpack fast WiFi speeds faster than a Gig
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Sun Country Airlines posted the best nancial result of the ULCCs Photo Getty Images
Fleet sizeBy the number of planes in each airlinersquos eet at the end of the rst quarter herersquoswhere they shake out
1 Spirit Airlines 159 aircraft2 Frontier Airlines 107 aircraft3 Allegiant Air 100 aircraft4 Sun Country 43 aircraft (including 12 operated for Amazon)
Spirit Frontier and Allegiant all rely on the Airbus A320 family of jets Sun Countryinstead ies the Boeing 737 family Sun Country and Allegiant prefer to acquire mid-life used aircraft Spirit and Frontier meanwhile have moved toward taking newerAirbus A320neo family of aircraft to pursue fuel savings and lower maintenance costs
ADVERTISEMENT
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Spirit Airlines is the largest of the four airlines by eet size Photo Getty Images
Spirit is the largest of the four airlines though this is not surprising The airline hasgrown immensely over the last few years and has over 125 aircraft on order stillFrontier similarly has a large order book of over 150 aircraft Allegiant and SunCountry prefer to buy aircraft in small numbers at attractive prices
CapacityMeasured in available seat miles (ASMs) here is how much capacity each airline ewin the rst quarter
1 Spirit 79761580002 Frontier 45920000003 Allegiant 40139890004 Sun Country 1158012000
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Spirit Airlines ran away with the win in this category However these statistics do notmean that other airlines are cowering or shrinking their networks due to thecompetition Instead Frontier Allegiant and Sun Country operate mostly on a lowerutilization and frequency model
ADVERTISEMENT
Spirit ew more capacity than its ULCC peers Photo Getty Images
Where Spirit will try to serve its destinations and routes daily or more the other threeairlines will target routes with perhaps a few ights per week These airlines also tendto utilize their aircraft for fewer hours of the day
Load factor
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
An airlinersquos load factor is a measure of the percentage of available seats that an airlinesold in a given period of time A higher load factor means that a carrier has sold moreof its seats Herersquos how the four airlines ranked on loads
1 Spirit 7212 Frontier 6993 Sun Country 6694 Allegiant 553
Spirit Frontier and Sun Country were all relatively close in terms of load factorAllegiant fell slightly behind though this can be attributed to the demandenvironment Allegiant targeted network expansion when most other airlines sat tightawaiting the summer months
ADVERTISEMENT
Spirit also took rst place in terms of load factor Photo Getty Images
We customize You could save $947
Ad by Liberty Mutual Insurance See More
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
However load factor does not necessarily equate to protability Allegiant wasprotable in the rst quarter despite recording a lower load factor Spirit on the otherhand was not
CASMCost per available seat mile (CASM) is an important industry metric It can help provideinformation about an airlinersquos operating costs and eciencies Airlines want this to beas low as possiblendash especially ULCCs Expressed in cents below is how the airlinersquosranked on CASM excluding fuel
1 Allegiant Air 428 cents2 Frontier Airlines 607 cents3 Sun Country 615 cents4 Spirit Airlines 740 cents
ULCCs typically target a CASM below six cents Frontier and Sun Country are close tothat metric while Spirit has some work to do As Spiritrsquos capacity comes backhowever its CASM should go down
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Allegiant Air had the lowest CASM of the ULCCs Photo Getty Images
CASM includes things such as structural costs If an airlinersquos structural costs stay at orelse increase marginally upon a greater increase in capacity this leads to a decrease incosts
Base fare per passengerULCCs sell unbundled fares That means that passengers who choose not to purchaseany ancillaries walk away with a seat and nothing else The base fare often helps lurein passengers who then purchase ancillaries Here is a measure of the average basefare per passenger ight segment
1 Sun Country $98772 Allegiant Air $58383 Spirit Airlines $31844 Frontier Airlines $3083
Just based on geography Sun Country is ying many routes that are longer than whatSpirit or Frontier ies Allegiant also ies some longer segments leading to higherfares for both of those airlines Spirit and Frontier are also carriers that try tostimulate some more demand with lower fares
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
In rst place on base fare was Sun Country Photo Sun Country Airlines
Ancillary fares per passengerThis is a key metric for ULCCs The higher an airlinersquos ancillary spend the greater itssuccess in selling its additional non-fare products to its customers Herersquos what airlinesrecorded
1 Allegiant Air $57972 Spirit Airlines $52433 Frontier Airlines $49754 Sun Country $4298
Ancillary spend has in general held up better than fare spend Passengers may needto be tempted in with low fares but they are still purchasing bags seats or perhapsight exibility that contributes to ancillary spending
Sun Country Airlines gives its passengers just a few more perks than Allegiant or Spiritso its ancillary spend per passenger is a little lower But it is not that far o from otherairlines and the carrier can start to try and push that ancillary spend upwards
Were you surprised by any of the results from these ULCCs Which ULCC is yourfavorite to y with Let us know in the comments
ADVERTISEMENT
8 SHARE TWEET SHARE SHARE
Jay Singh
Deputy Content Manager amp Lead US Journalist - Jayrsquos extensive travelsand experience with premium products has given him incredible insightinto the wider landscape of commercial aviation Cited by TIME andIntelligent Aerospace among others and interviewed by major outlet
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
NPR Jayrsquos focus on route planning and eet developments allow him todig deeper into the stories behind the headlines Based in WashingtonDC United States Follow him on social media for all his latest travelupdates
Allegiant Wants To Hire 184 Pilots InThe Coming MonthsAndrew Curran
What Is The Secret Behind AllegiantAnd Sun Countryrsquos SuccessJay Singh
Allegiant Air Is Not Concerned AboutBreeze AirwaysJay Singh
A Look At Frontierrsquos SouthernCalifornia ExpansionJay Singh
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Frontier Airlines Embarks On AnotherRound Of Network ExpansionJay Singh
US Winners Frontier And AllegiantLead The Airline Recovery PushJames Pearson
AdChoices Sponsored
United AirlinesMakes Huge Julyhellip
Sushi
Itrsquos not ONLY Unitedwith mask mandateshellip
6Top Comment
Why Do AirlineCaptains Sit On Thhellip
Alan1137
I have always beenaware that the captaihellip
6Top Comment
Your voice matters Discussions are moderated for civility Read our guidelines here
Conversation 1 Comment
Commenting as Guest Log In
What do you think
Sort by Newest
I IceCat 2K Points1 day ago
Some concerns about Sun CountryThe average base fare dropped from $140 to $99Fuel cost in higher Total revenue per ASM is down 25 If the cargo revenue of $215m which is all prot is taken away SY loss would have been in the neighborhood of $335m Sun Country is not well known outside of the Minnesota area just wondering if some of these crazy routes that have been announced will not be successful and be a drag on the earnings Allegiant will be just ne Frontier looks like they are still employing the throwing darts at a map and Spirit might be expanding to much to fast
2Reply
Powered by Terms | Privacy | Feedback
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Stay informed Sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests
Net financial resultsOn the basic level the four airlines reported dierent net losses or prots in the rstquarter From best to worst they are
1 Sun Country Airlines $124 million prot2 Allegiant Air $69 million prot3 Frontier Airlines ($91 million) loss4 Spirit Airlines ($1123 million) loss
Sun Country pulling ahead is not too much of a surprise The airline has a diverseoperating model that looks at both charters scheduled service and cargo ying forAmazon This provides more revenue streams and especially with cargo morestability
ADVERTISEMENT
Unpack fast WiFi speeds faster than a Gig
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Sun Country Airlines posted the best nancial result of the ULCCs Photo Getty Images
Fleet sizeBy the number of planes in each airlinersquos eet at the end of the rst quarter herersquoswhere they shake out
1 Spirit Airlines 159 aircraft2 Frontier Airlines 107 aircraft3 Allegiant Air 100 aircraft4 Sun Country 43 aircraft (including 12 operated for Amazon)
Spirit Frontier and Allegiant all rely on the Airbus A320 family of jets Sun Countryinstead ies the Boeing 737 family Sun Country and Allegiant prefer to acquire mid-life used aircraft Spirit and Frontier meanwhile have moved toward taking newerAirbus A320neo family of aircraft to pursue fuel savings and lower maintenance costs
ADVERTISEMENT
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Spirit Airlines is the largest of the four airlines by eet size Photo Getty Images
Spirit is the largest of the four airlines though this is not surprising The airline hasgrown immensely over the last few years and has over 125 aircraft on order stillFrontier similarly has a large order book of over 150 aircraft Allegiant and SunCountry prefer to buy aircraft in small numbers at attractive prices
CapacityMeasured in available seat miles (ASMs) here is how much capacity each airline ewin the rst quarter
1 Spirit 79761580002 Frontier 45920000003 Allegiant 40139890004 Sun Country 1158012000
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Spirit Airlines ran away with the win in this category However these statistics do notmean that other airlines are cowering or shrinking their networks due to thecompetition Instead Frontier Allegiant and Sun Country operate mostly on a lowerutilization and frequency model
ADVERTISEMENT
Spirit ew more capacity than its ULCC peers Photo Getty Images
Where Spirit will try to serve its destinations and routes daily or more the other threeairlines will target routes with perhaps a few ights per week These airlines also tendto utilize their aircraft for fewer hours of the day
Load factor
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
An airlinersquos load factor is a measure of the percentage of available seats that an airlinesold in a given period of time A higher load factor means that a carrier has sold moreof its seats Herersquos how the four airlines ranked on loads
1 Spirit 7212 Frontier 6993 Sun Country 6694 Allegiant 553
Spirit Frontier and Sun Country were all relatively close in terms of load factorAllegiant fell slightly behind though this can be attributed to the demandenvironment Allegiant targeted network expansion when most other airlines sat tightawaiting the summer months
ADVERTISEMENT
Spirit also took rst place in terms of load factor Photo Getty Images
We customize You could save $947
Ad by Liberty Mutual Insurance See More
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
However load factor does not necessarily equate to protability Allegiant wasprotable in the rst quarter despite recording a lower load factor Spirit on the otherhand was not
CASMCost per available seat mile (CASM) is an important industry metric It can help provideinformation about an airlinersquos operating costs and eciencies Airlines want this to beas low as possiblendash especially ULCCs Expressed in cents below is how the airlinersquosranked on CASM excluding fuel
1 Allegiant Air 428 cents2 Frontier Airlines 607 cents3 Sun Country 615 cents4 Spirit Airlines 740 cents
ULCCs typically target a CASM below six cents Frontier and Sun Country are close tothat metric while Spirit has some work to do As Spiritrsquos capacity comes backhowever its CASM should go down
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Allegiant Air had the lowest CASM of the ULCCs Photo Getty Images
CASM includes things such as structural costs If an airlinersquos structural costs stay at orelse increase marginally upon a greater increase in capacity this leads to a decrease incosts
Base fare per passengerULCCs sell unbundled fares That means that passengers who choose not to purchaseany ancillaries walk away with a seat and nothing else The base fare often helps lurein passengers who then purchase ancillaries Here is a measure of the average basefare per passenger ight segment
1 Sun Country $98772 Allegiant Air $58383 Spirit Airlines $31844 Frontier Airlines $3083
Just based on geography Sun Country is ying many routes that are longer than whatSpirit or Frontier ies Allegiant also ies some longer segments leading to higherfares for both of those airlines Spirit and Frontier are also carriers that try tostimulate some more demand with lower fares
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
In rst place on base fare was Sun Country Photo Sun Country Airlines
Ancillary fares per passengerThis is a key metric for ULCCs The higher an airlinersquos ancillary spend the greater itssuccess in selling its additional non-fare products to its customers Herersquos what airlinesrecorded
1 Allegiant Air $57972 Spirit Airlines $52433 Frontier Airlines $49754 Sun Country $4298
Ancillary spend has in general held up better than fare spend Passengers may needto be tempted in with low fares but they are still purchasing bags seats or perhapsight exibility that contributes to ancillary spending
Sun Country Airlines gives its passengers just a few more perks than Allegiant or Spiritso its ancillary spend per passenger is a little lower But it is not that far o from otherairlines and the carrier can start to try and push that ancillary spend upwards
Were you surprised by any of the results from these ULCCs Which ULCC is yourfavorite to y with Let us know in the comments
ADVERTISEMENT
8 SHARE TWEET SHARE SHARE
Jay Singh
Deputy Content Manager amp Lead US Journalist - Jayrsquos extensive travelsand experience with premium products has given him incredible insightinto the wider landscape of commercial aviation Cited by TIME andIntelligent Aerospace among others and interviewed by major outlet
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
NPR Jayrsquos focus on route planning and eet developments allow him todig deeper into the stories behind the headlines Based in WashingtonDC United States Follow him on social media for all his latest travelupdates
Allegiant Wants To Hire 184 Pilots InThe Coming MonthsAndrew Curran
What Is The Secret Behind AllegiantAnd Sun Countryrsquos SuccessJay Singh
Allegiant Air Is Not Concerned AboutBreeze AirwaysJay Singh
A Look At Frontierrsquos SouthernCalifornia ExpansionJay Singh
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Frontier Airlines Embarks On AnotherRound Of Network ExpansionJay Singh
US Winners Frontier And AllegiantLead The Airline Recovery PushJames Pearson
AdChoices Sponsored
United AirlinesMakes Huge Julyhellip
Sushi
Itrsquos not ONLY Unitedwith mask mandateshellip
6Top Comment
Why Do AirlineCaptains Sit On Thhellip
Alan1137
I have always beenaware that the captaihellip
6Top Comment
Your voice matters Discussions are moderated for civility Read our guidelines here
Conversation 1 Comment
Commenting as Guest Log In
What do you think
Sort by Newest
I IceCat 2K Points1 day ago
Some concerns about Sun CountryThe average base fare dropped from $140 to $99Fuel cost in higher Total revenue per ASM is down 25 If the cargo revenue of $215m which is all prot is taken away SY loss would have been in the neighborhood of $335m Sun Country is not well known outside of the Minnesota area just wondering if some of these crazy routes that have been announced will not be successful and be a drag on the earnings Allegiant will be just ne Frontier looks like they are still employing the throwing darts at a map and Spirit might be expanding to much to fast
2Reply
Powered by Terms | Privacy | Feedback
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Sun Country Airlines posted the best nancial result of the ULCCs Photo Getty Images
Fleet sizeBy the number of planes in each airlinersquos eet at the end of the rst quarter herersquoswhere they shake out
1 Spirit Airlines 159 aircraft2 Frontier Airlines 107 aircraft3 Allegiant Air 100 aircraft4 Sun Country 43 aircraft (including 12 operated for Amazon)
Spirit Frontier and Allegiant all rely on the Airbus A320 family of jets Sun Countryinstead ies the Boeing 737 family Sun Country and Allegiant prefer to acquire mid-life used aircraft Spirit and Frontier meanwhile have moved toward taking newerAirbus A320neo family of aircraft to pursue fuel savings and lower maintenance costs
ADVERTISEMENT
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Spirit Airlines is the largest of the four airlines by eet size Photo Getty Images
Spirit is the largest of the four airlines though this is not surprising The airline hasgrown immensely over the last few years and has over 125 aircraft on order stillFrontier similarly has a large order book of over 150 aircraft Allegiant and SunCountry prefer to buy aircraft in small numbers at attractive prices
CapacityMeasured in available seat miles (ASMs) here is how much capacity each airline ewin the rst quarter
1 Spirit 79761580002 Frontier 45920000003 Allegiant 40139890004 Sun Country 1158012000
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Spirit Airlines ran away with the win in this category However these statistics do notmean that other airlines are cowering or shrinking their networks due to thecompetition Instead Frontier Allegiant and Sun Country operate mostly on a lowerutilization and frequency model
ADVERTISEMENT
Spirit ew more capacity than its ULCC peers Photo Getty Images
Where Spirit will try to serve its destinations and routes daily or more the other threeairlines will target routes with perhaps a few ights per week These airlines also tendto utilize their aircraft for fewer hours of the day
Load factor
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
An airlinersquos load factor is a measure of the percentage of available seats that an airlinesold in a given period of time A higher load factor means that a carrier has sold moreof its seats Herersquos how the four airlines ranked on loads
1 Spirit 7212 Frontier 6993 Sun Country 6694 Allegiant 553
Spirit Frontier and Sun Country were all relatively close in terms of load factorAllegiant fell slightly behind though this can be attributed to the demandenvironment Allegiant targeted network expansion when most other airlines sat tightawaiting the summer months
ADVERTISEMENT
Spirit also took rst place in terms of load factor Photo Getty Images
We customize You could save $947
Ad by Liberty Mutual Insurance See More
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
However load factor does not necessarily equate to protability Allegiant wasprotable in the rst quarter despite recording a lower load factor Spirit on the otherhand was not
CASMCost per available seat mile (CASM) is an important industry metric It can help provideinformation about an airlinersquos operating costs and eciencies Airlines want this to beas low as possiblendash especially ULCCs Expressed in cents below is how the airlinersquosranked on CASM excluding fuel
1 Allegiant Air 428 cents2 Frontier Airlines 607 cents3 Sun Country 615 cents4 Spirit Airlines 740 cents
ULCCs typically target a CASM below six cents Frontier and Sun Country are close tothat metric while Spirit has some work to do As Spiritrsquos capacity comes backhowever its CASM should go down
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Allegiant Air had the lowest CASM of the ULCCs Photo Getty Images
CASM includes things such as structural costs If an airlinersquos structural costs stay at orelse increase marginally upon a greater increase in capacity this leads to a decrease incosts
Base fare per passengerULCCs sell unbundled fares That means that passengers who choose not to purchaseany ancillaries walk away with a seat and nothing else The base fare often helps lurein passengers who then purchase ancillaries Here is a measure of the average basefare per passenger ight segment
1 Sun Country $98772 Allegiant Air $58383 Spirit Airlines $31844 Frontier Airlines $3083
Just based on geography Sun Country is ying many routes that are longer than whatSpirit or Frontier ies Allegiant also ies some longer segments leading to higherfares for both of those airlines Spirit and Frontier are also carriers that try tostimulate some more demand with lower fares
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
In rst place on base fare was Sun Country Photo Sun Country Airlines
Ancillary fares per passengerThis is a key metric for ULCCs The higher an airlinersquos ancillary spend the greater itssuccess in selling its additional non-fare products to its customers Herersquos what airlinesrecorded
1 Allegiant Air $57972 Spirit Airlines $52433 Frontier Airlines $49754 Sun Country $4298
Ancillary spend has in general held up better than fare spend Passengers may needto be tempted in with low fares but they are still purchasing bags seats or perhapsight exibility that contributes to ancillary spending
Sun Country Airlines gives its passengers just a few more perks than Allegiant or Spiritso its ancillary spend per passenger is a little lower But it is not that far o from otherairlines and the carrier can start to try and push that ancillary spend upwards
Were you surprised by any of the results from these ULCCs Which ULCC is yourfavorite to y with Let us know in the comments
ADVERTISEMENT
8 SHARE TWEET SHARE SHARE
Jay Singh
Deputy Content Manager amp Lead US Journalist - Jayrsquos extensive travelsand experience with premium products has given him incredible insightinto the wider landscape of commercial aviation Cited by TIME andIntelligent Aerospace among others and interviewed by major outlet
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
NPR Jayrsquos focus on route planning and eet developments allow him todig deeper into the stories behind the headlines Based in WashingtonDC United States Follow him on social media for all his latest travelupdates
Allegiant Wants To Hire 184 Pilots InThe Coming MonthsAndrew Curran
What Is The Secret Behind AllegiantAnd Sun Countryrsquos SuccessJay Singh
Allegiant Air Is Not Concerned AboutBreeze AirwaysJay Singh
A Look At Frontierrsquos SouthernCalifornia ExpansionJay Singh
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Frontier Airlines Embarks On AnotherRound Of Network ExpansionJay Singh
US Winners Frontier And AllegiantLead The Airline Recovery PushJames Pearson
AdChoices Sponsored
United AirlinesMakes Huge Julyhellip
Sushi
Itrsquos not ONLY Unitedwith mask mandateshellip
6Top Comment
Why Do AirlineCaptains Sit On Thhellip
Alan1137
I have always beenaware that the captaihellip
6Top Comment
Your voice matters Discussions are moderated for civility Read our guidelines here
Conversation 1 Comment
Commenting as Guest Log In
What do you think
Sort by Newest
I IceCat 2K Points1 day ago
Some concerns about Sun CountryThe average base fare dropped from $140 to $99Fuel cost in higher Total revenue per ASM is down 25 If the cargo revenue of $215m which is all prot is taken away SY loss would have been in the neighborhood of $335m Sun Country is not well known outside of the Minnesota area just wondering if some of these crazy routes that have been announced will not be successful and be a drag on the earnings Allegiant will be just ne Frontier looks like they are still employing the throwing darts at a map and Spirit might be expanding to much to fast
2Reply
Powered by Terms | Privacy | Feedback
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Spirit Airlines is the largest of the four airlines by eet size Photo Getty Images
Spirit is the largest of the four airlines though this is not surprising The airline hasgrown immensely over the last few years and has over 125 aircraft on order stillFrontier similarly has a large order book of over 150 aircraft Allegiant and SunCountry prefer to buy aircraft in small numbers at attractive prices
CapacityMeasured in available seat miles (ASMs) here is how much capacity each airline ewin the rst quarter
1 Spirit 79761580002 Frontier 45920000003 Allegiant 40139890004 Sun Country 1158012000
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Spirit Airlines ran away with the win in this category However these statistics do notmean that other airlines are cowering or shrinking their networks due to thecompetition Instead Frontier Allegiant and Sun Country operate mostly on a lowerutilization and frequency model
ADVERTISEMENT
Spirit ew more capacity than its ULCC peers Photo Getty Images
Where Spirit will try to serve its destinations and routes daily or more the other threeairlines will target routes with perhaps a few ights per week These airlines also tendto utilize their aircraft for fewer hours of the day
Load factor
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
An airlinersquos load factor is a measure of the percentage of available seats that an airlinesold in a given period of time A higher load factor means that a carrier has sold moreof its seats Herersquos how the four airlines ranked on loads
1 Spirit 7212 Frontier 6993 Sun Country 6694 Allegiant 553
Spirit Frontier and Sun Country were all relatively close in terms of load factorAllegiant fell slightly behind though this can be attributed to the demandenvironment Allegiant targeted network expansion when most other airlines sat tightawaiting the summer months
ADVERTISEMENT
Spirit also took rst place in terms of load factor Photo Getty Images
We customize You could save $947
Ad by Liberty Mutual Insurance See More
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
However load factor does not necessarily equate to protability Allegiant wasprotable in the rst quarter despite recording a lower load factor Spirit on the otherhand was not
CASMCost per available seat mile (CASM) is an important industry metric It can help provideinformation about an airlinersquos operating costs and eciencies Airlines want this to beas low as possiblendash especially ULCCs Expressed in cents below is how the airlinersquosranked on CASM excluding fuel
1 Allegiant Air 428 cents2 Frontier Airlines 607 cents3 Sun Country 615 cents4 Spirit Airlines 740 cents
ULCCs typically target a CASM below six cents Frontier and Sun Country are close tothat metric while Spirit has some work to do As Spiritrsquos capacity comes backhowever its CASM should go down
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Allegiant Air had the lowest CASM of the ULCCs Photo Getty Images
CASM includes things such as structural costs If an airlinersquos structural costs stay at orelse increase marginally upon a greater increase in capacity this leads to a decrease incosts
Base fare per passengerULCCs sell unbundled fares That means that passengers who choose not to purchaseany ancillaries walk away with a seat and nothing else The base fare often helps lurein passengers who then purchase ancillaries Here is a measure of the average basefare per passenger ight segment
1 Sun Country $98772 Allegiant Air $58383 Spirit Airlines $31844 Frontier Airlines $3083
Just based on geography Sun Country is ying many routes that are longer than whatSpirit or Frontier ies Allegiant also ies some longer segments leading to higherfares for both of those airlines Spirit and Frontier are also carriers that try tostimulate some more demand with lower fares
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
In rst place on base fare was Sun Country Photo Sun Country Airlines
Ancillary fares per passengerThis is a key metric for ULCCs The higher an airlinersquos ancillary spend the greater itssuccess in selling its additional non-fare products to its customers Herersquos what airlinesrecorded
1 Allegiant Air $57972 Spirit Airlines $52433 Frontier Airlines $49754 Sun Country $4298
Ancillary spend has in general held up better than fare spend Passengers may needto be tempted in with low fares but they are still purchasing bags seats or perhapsight exibility that contributes to ancillary spending
Sun Country Airlines gives its passengers just a few more perks than Allegiant or Spiritso its ancillary spend per passenger is a little lower But it is not that far o from otherairlines and the carrier can start to try and push that ancillary spend upwards
Were you surprised by any of the results from these ULCCs Which ULCC is yourfavorite to y with Let us know in the comments
ADVERTISEMENT
8 SHARE TWEET SHARE SHARE
Jay Singh
Deputy Content Manager amp Lead US Journalist - Jayrsquos extensive travelsand experience with premium products has given him incredible insightinto the wider landscape of commercial aviation Cited by TIME andIntelligent Aerospace among others and interviewed by major outlet
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
NPR Jayrsquos focus on route planning and eet developments allow him todig deeper into the stories behind the headlines Based in WashingtonDC United States Follow him on social media for all his latest travelupdates
Allegiant Wants To Hire 184 Pilots InThe Coming MonthsAndrew Curran
What Is The Secret Behind AllegiantAnd Sun Countryrsquos SuccessJay Singh
Allegiant Air Is Not Concerned AboutBreeze AirwaysJay Singh
A Look At Frontierrsquos SouthernCalifornia ExpansionJay Singh
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Frontier Airlines Embarks On AnotherRound Of Network ExpansionJay Singh
US Winners Frontier And AllegiantLead The Airline Recovery PushJames Pearson
AdChoices Sponsored
United AirlinesMakes Huge Julyhellip
Sushi
Itrsquos not ONLY Unitedwith mask mandateshellip
6Top Comment
Why Do AirlineCaptains Sit On Thhellip
Alan1137
I have always beenaware that the captaihellip
6Top Comment
Your voice matters Discussions are moderated for civility Read our guidelines here
Conversation 1 Comment
Commenting as Guest Log In
What do you think
Sort by Newest
I IceCat 2K Points1 day ago
Some concerns about Sun CountryThe average base fare dropped from $140 to $99Fuel cost in higher Total revenue per ASM is down 25 If the cargo revenue of $215m which is all prot is taken away SY loss would have been in the neighborhood of $335m Sun Country is not well known outside of the Minnesota area just wondering if some of these crazy routes that have been announced will not be successful and be a drag on the earnings Allegiant will be just ne Frontier looks like they are still employing the throwing darts at a map and Spirit might be expanding to much to fast
2Reply
Powered by Terms | Privacy | Feedback
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Spirit Airlines ran away with the win in this category However these statistics do notmean that other airlines are cowering or shrinking their networks due to thecompetition Instead Frontier Allegiant and Sun Country operate mostly on a lowerutilization and frequency model
ADVERTISEMENT
Spirit ew more capacity than its ULCC peers Photo Getty Images
Where Spirit will try to serve its destinations and routes daily or more the other threeairlines will target routes with perhaps a few ights per week These airlines also tendto utilize their aircraft for fewer hours of the day
Load factor
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
An airlinersquos load factor is a measure of the percentage of available seats that an airlinesold in a given period of time A higher load factor means that a carrier has sold moreof its seats Herersquos how the four airlines ranked on loads
1 Spirit 7212 Frontier 6993 Sun Country 6694 Allegiant 553
Spirit Frontier and Sun Country were all relatively close in terms of load factorAllegiant fell slightly behind though this can be attributed to the demandenvironment Allegiant targeted network expansion when most other airlines sat tightawaiting the summer months
ADVERTISEMENT
Spirit also took rst place in terms of load factor Photo Getty Images
We customize You could save $947
Ad by Liberty Mutual Insurance See More
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
However load factor does not necessarily equate to protability Allegiant wasprotable in the rst quarter despite recording a lower load factor Spirit on the otherhand was not
CASMCost per available seat mile (CASM) is an important industry metric It can help provideinformation about an airlinersquos operating costs and eciencies Airlines want this to beas low as possiblendash especially ULCCs Expressed in cents below is how the airlinersquosranked on CASM excluding fuel
1 Allegiant Air 428 cents2 Frontier Airlines 607 cents3 Sun Country 615 cents4 Spirit Airlines 740 cents
ULCCs typically target a CASM below six cents Frontier and Sun Country are close tothat metric while Spirit has some work to do As Spiritrsquos capacity comes backhowever its CASM should go down
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Allegiant Air had the lowest CASM of the ULCCs Photo Getty Images
CASM includes things such as structural costs If an airlinersquos structural costs stay at orelse increase marginally upon a greater increase in capacity this leads to a decrease incosts
Base fare per passengerULCCs sell unbundled fares That means that passengers who choose not to purchaseany ancillaries walk away with a seat and nothing else The base fare often helps lurein passengers who then purchase ancillaries Here is a measure of the average basefare per passenger ight segment
1 Sun Country $98772 Allegiant Air $58383 Spirit Airlines $31844 Frontier Airlines $3083
Just based on geography Sun Country is ying many routes that are longer than whatSpirit or Frontier ies Allegiant also ies some longer segments leading to higherfares for both of those airlines Spirit and Frontier are also carriers that try tostimulate some more demand with lower fares
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
In rst place on base fare was Sun Country Photo Sun Country Airlines
Ancillary fares per passengerThis is a key metric for ULCCs The higher an airlinersquos ancillary spend the greater itssuccess in selling its additional non-fare products to its customers Herersquos what airlinesrecorded
1 Allegiant Air $57972 Spirit Airlines $52433 Frontier Airlines $49754 Sun Country $4298
Ancillary spend has in general held up better than fare spend Passengers may needto be tempted in with low fares but they are still purchasing bags seats or perhapsight exibility that contributes to ancillary spending
Sun Country Airlines gives its passengers just a few more perks than Allegiant or Spiritso its ancillary spend per passenger is a little lower But it is not that far o from otherairlines and the carrier can start to try and push that ancillary spend upwards
Were you surprised by any of the results from these ULCCs Which ULCC is yourfavorite to y with Let us know in the comments
ADVERTISEMENT
8 SHARE TWEET SHARE SHARE
Jay Singh
Deputy Content Manager amp Lead US Journalist - Jayrsquos extensive travelsand experience with premium products has given him incredible insightinto the wider landscape of commercial aviation Cited by TIME andIntelligent Aerospace among others and interviewed by major outlet
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
NPR Jayrsquos focus on route planning and eet developments allow him todig deeper into the stories behind the headlines Based in WashingtonDC United States Follow him on social media for all his latest travelupdates
Allegiant Wants To Hire 184 Pilots InThe Coming MonthsAndrew Curran
What Is The Secret Behind AllegiantAnd Sun Countryrsquos SuccessJay Singh
Allegiant Air Is Not Concerned AboutBreeze AirwaysJay Singh
A Look At Frontierrsquos SouthernCalifornia ExpansionJay Singh
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Frontier Airlines Embarks On AnotherRound Of Network ExpansionJay Singh
US Winners Frontier And AllegiantLead The Airline Recovery PushJames Pearson
AdChoices Sponsored
United AirlinesMakes Huge Julyhellip
Sushi
Itrsquos not ONLY Unitedwith mask mandateshellip
6Top Comment
Why Do AirlineCaptains Sit On Thhellip
Alan1137
I have always beenaware that the captaihellip
6Top Comment
Your voice matters Discussions are moderated for civility Read our guidelines here
Conversation 1 Comment
Commenting as Guest Log In
What do you think
Sort by Newest
I IceCat 2K Points1 day ago
Some concerns about Sun CountryThe average base fare dropped from $140 to $99Fuel cost in higher Total revenue per ASM is down 25 If the cargo revenue of $215m which is all prot is taken away SY loss would have been in the neighborhood of $335m Sun Country is not well known outside of the Minnesota area just wondering if some of these crazy routes that have been announced will not be successful and be a drag on the earnings Allegiant will be just ne Frontier looks like they are still employing the throwing darts at a map and Spirit might be expanding to much to fast
2Reply
Powered by Terms | Privacy | Feedback
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
An airlinersquos load factor is a measure of the percentage of available seats that an airlinesold in a given period of time A higher load factor means that a carrier has sold moreof its seats Herersquos how the four airlines ranked on loads
1 Spirit 7212 Frontier 6993 Sun Country 6694 Allegiant 553
Spirit Frontier and Sun Country were all relatively close in terms of load factorAllegiant fell slightly behind though this can be attributed to the demandenvironment Allegiant targeted network expansion when most other airlines sat tightawaiting the summer months
ADVERTISEMENT
Spirit also took rst place in terms of load factor Photo Getty Images
We customize You could save $947
Ad by Liberty Mutual Insurance See More
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
However load factor does not necessarily equate to protability Allegiant wasprotable in the rst quarter despite recording a lower load factor Spirit on the otherhand was not
CASMCost per available seat mile (CASM) is an important industry metric It can help provideinformation about an airlinersquos operating costs and eciencies Airlines want this to beas low as possiblendash especially ULCCs Expressed in cents below is how the airlinersquosranked on CASM excluding fuel
1 Allegiant Air 428 cents2 Frontier Airlines 607 cents3 Sun Country 615 cents4 Spirit Airlines 740 cents
ULCCs typically target a CASM below six cents Frontier and Sun Country are close tothat metric while Spirit has some work to do As Spiritrsquos capacity comes backhowever its CASM should go down
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Allegiant Air had the lowest CASM of the ULCCs Photo Getty Images
CASM includes things such as structural costs If an airlinersquos structural costs stay at orelse increase marginally upon a greater increase in capacity this leads to a decrease incosts
Base fare per passengerULCCs sell unbundled fares That means that passengers who choose not to purchaseany ancillaries walk away with a seat and nothing else The base fare often helps lurein passengers who then purchase ancillaries Here is a measure of the average basefare per passenger ight segment
1 Sun Country $98772 Allegiant Air $58383 Spirit Airlines $31844 Frontier Airlines $3083
Just based on geography Sun Country is ying many routes that are longer than whatSpirit or Frontier ies Allegiant also ies some longer segments leading to higherfares for both of those airlines Spirit and Frontier are also carriers that try tostimulate some more demand with lower fares
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
In rst place on base fare was Sun Country Photo Sun Country Airlines
Ancillary fares per passengerThis is a key metric for ULCCs The higher an airlinersquos ancillary spend the greater itssuccess in selling its additional non-fare products to its customers Herersquos what airlinesrecorded
1 Allegiant Air $57972 Spirit Airlines $52433 Frontier Airlines $49754 Sun Country $4298
Ancillary spend has in general held up better than fare spend Passengers may needto be tempted in with low fares but they are still purchasing bags seats or perhapsight exibility that contributes to ancillary spending
Sun Country Airlines gives its passengers just a few more perks than Allegiant or Spiritso its ancillary spend per passenger is a little lower But it is not that far o from otherairlines and the carrier can start to try and push that ancillary spend upwards
Were you surprised by any of the results from these ULCCs Which ULCC is yourfavorite to y with Let us know in the comments
ADVERTISEMENT
8 SHARE TWEET SHARE SHARE
Jay Singh
Deputy Content Manager amp Lead US Journalist - Jayrsquos extensive travelsand experience with premium products has given him incredible insightinto the wider landscape of commercial aviation Cited by TIME andIntelligent Aerospace among others and interviewed by major outlet
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
NPR Jayrsquos focus on route planning and eet developments allow him todig deeper into the stories behind the headlines Based in WashingtonDC United States Follow him on social media for all his latest travelupdates
Allegiant Wants To Hire 184 Pilots InThe Coming MonthsAndrew Curran
What Is The Secret Behind AllegiantAnd Sun Countryrsquos SuccessJay Singh
Allegiant Air Is Not Concerned AboutBreeze AirwaysJay Singh
A Look At Frontierrsquos SouthernCalifornia ExpansionJay Singh
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Frontier Airlines Embarks On AnotherRound Of Network ExpansionJay Singh
US Winners Frontier And AllegiantLead The Airline Recovery PushJames Pearson
AdChoices Sponsored
United AirlinesMakes Huge Julyhellip
Sushi
Itrsquos not ONLY Unitedwith mask mandateshellip
6Top Comment
Why Do AirlineCaptains Sit On Thhellip
Alan1137
I have always beenaware that the captaihellip
6Top Comment
Your voice matters Discussions are moderated for civility Read our guidelines here
Conversation 1 Comment
Commenting as Guest Log In
What do you think
Sort by Newest
I IceCat 2K Points1 day ago
Some concerns about Sun CountryThe average base fare dropped from $140 to $99Fuel cost in higher Total revenue per ASM is down 25 If the cargo revenue of $215m which is all prot is taken away SY loss would have been in the neighborhood of $335m Sun Country is not well known outside of the Minnesota area just wondering if some of these crazy routes that have been announced will not be successful and be a drag on the earnings Allegiant will be just ne Frontier looks like they are still employing the throwing darts at a map and Spirit might be expanding to much to fast
2Reply
Powered by Terms | Privacy | Feedback
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
However load factor does not necessarily equate to protability Allegiant wasprotable in the rst quarter despite recording a lower load factor Spirit on the otherhand was not
CASMCost per available seat mile (CASM) is an important industry metric It can help provideinformation about an airlinersquos operating costs and eciencies Airlines want this to beas low as possiblendash especially ULCCs Expressed in cents below is how the airlinersquosranked on CASM excluding fuel
1 Allegiant Air 428 cents2 Frontier Airlines 607 cents3 Sun Country 615 cents4 Spirit Airlines 740 cents
ULCCs typically target a CASM below six cents Frontier and Sun Country are close tothat metric while Spirit has some work to do As Spiritrsquos capacity comes backhowever its CASM should go down
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Allegiant Air had the lowest CASM of the ULCCs Photo Getty Images
CASM includes things such as structural costs If an airlinersquos structural costs stay at orelse increase marginally upon a greater increase in capacity this leads to a decrease incosts
Base fare per passengerULCCs sell unbundled fares That means that passengers who choose not to purchaseany ancillaries walk away with a seat and nothing else The base fare often helps lurein passengers who then purchase ancillaries Here is a measure of the average basefare per passenger ight segment
1 Sun Country $98772 Allegiant Air $58383 Spirit Airlines $31844 Frontier Airlines $3083
Just based on geography Sun Country is ying many routes that are longer than whatSpirit or Frontier ies Allegiant also ies some longer segments leading to higherfares for both of those airlines Spirit and Frontier are also carriers that try tostimulate some more demand with lower fares
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
In rst place on base fare was Sun Country Photo Sun Country Airlines
Ancillary fares per passengerThis is a key metric for ULCCs The higher an airlinersquos ancillary spend the greater itssuccess in selling its additional non-fare products to its customers Herersquos what airlinesrecorded
1 Allegiant Air $57972 Spirit Airlines $52433 Frontier Airlines $49754 Sun Country $4298
Ancillary spend has in general held up better than fare spend Passengers may needto be tempted in with low fares but they are still purchasing bags seats or perhapsight exibility that contributes to ancillary spending
Sun Country Airlines gives its passengers just a few more perks than Allegiant or Spiritso its ancillary spend per passenger is a little lower But it is not that far o from otherairlines and the carrier can start to try and push that ancillary spend upwards
Were you surprised by any of the results from these ULCCs Which ULCC is yourfavorite to y with Let us know in the comments
ADVERTISEMENT
8 SHARE TWEET SHARE SHARE
Jay Singh
Deputy Content Manager amp Lead US Journalist - Jayrsquos extensive travelsand experience with premium products has given him incredible insightinto the wider landscape of commercial aviation Cited by TIME andIntelligent Aerospace among others and interviewed by major outlet
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
NPR Jayrsquos focus on route planning and eet developments allow him todig deeper into the stories behind the headlines Based in WashingtonDC United States Follow him on social media for all his latest travelupdates
Allegiant Wants To Hire 184 Pilots InThe Coming MonthsAndrew Curran
What Is The Secret Behind AllegiantAnd Sun Countryrsquos SuccessJay Singh
Allegiant Air Is Not Concerned AboutBreeze AirwaysJay Singh
A Look At Frontierrsquos SouthernCalifornia ExpansionJay Singh
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Frontier Airlines Embarks On AnotherRound Of Network ExpansionJay Singh
US Winners Frontier And AllegiantLead The Airline Recovery PushJames Pearson
AdChoices Sponsored
United AirlinesMakes Huge Julyhellip
Sushi
Itrsquos not ONLY Unitedwith mask mandateshellip
6Top Comment
Why Do AirlineCaptains Sit On Thhellip
Alan1137
I have always beenaware that the captaihellip
6Top Comment
Your voice matters Discussions are moderated for civility Read our guidelines here
Conversation 1 Comment
Commenting as Guest Log In
What do you think
Sort by Newest
I IceCat 2K Points1 day ago
Some concerns about Sun CountryThe average base fare dropped from $140 to $99Fuel cost in higher Total revenue per ASM is down 25 If the cargo revenue of $215m which is all prot is taken away SY loss would have been in the neighborhood of $335m Sun Country is not well known outside of the Minnesota area just wondering if some of these crazy routes that have been announced will not be successful and be a drag on the earnings Allegiant will be just ne Frontier looks like they are still employing the throwing darts at a map and Spirit might be expanding to much to fast
2Reply
Powered by Terms | Privacy | Feedback
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Allegiant Air had the lowest CASM of the ULCCs Photo Getty Images
CASM includes things such as structural costs If an airlinersquos structural costs stay at orelse increase marginally upon a greater increase in capacity this leads to a decrease incosts
Base fare per passengerULCCs sell unbundled fares That means that passengers who choose not to purchaseany ancillaries walk away with a seat and nothing else The base fare often helps lurein passengers who then purchase ancillaries Here is a measure of the average basefare per passenger ight segment
1 Sun Country $98772 Allegiant Air $58383 Spirit Airlines $31844 Frontier Airlines $3083
Just based on geography Sun Country is ying many routes that are longer than whatSpirit or Frontier ies Allegiant also ies some longer segments leading to higherfares for both of those airlines Spirit and Frontier are also carriers that try tostimulate some more demand with lower fares
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
In rst place on base fare was Sun Country Photo Sun Country Airlines
Ancillary fares per passengerThis is a key metric for ULCCs The higher an airlinersquos ancillary spend the greater itssuccess in selling its additional non-fare products to its customers Herersquos what airlinesrecorded
1 Allegiant Air $57972 Spirit Airlines $52433 Frontier Airlines $49754 Sun Country $4298
Ancillary spend has in general held up better than fare spend Passengers may needto be tempted in with low fares but they are still purchasing bags seats or perhapsight exibility that contributes to ancillary spending
Sun Country Airlines gives its passengers just a few more perks than Allegiant or Spiritso its ancillary spend per passenger is a little lower But it is not that far o from otherairlines and the carrier can start to try and push that ancillary spend upwards
Were you surprised by any of the results from these ULCCs Which ULCC is yourfavorite to y with Let us know in the comments
ADVERTISEMENT
8 SHARE TWEET SHARE SHARE
Jay Singh
Deputy Content Manager amp Lead US Journalist - Jayrsquos extensive travelsand experience with premium products has given him incredible insightinto the wider landscape of commercial aviation Cited by TIME andIntelligent Aerospace among others and interviewed by major outlet
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
NPR Jayrsquos focus on route planning and eet developments allow him todig deeper into the stories behind the headlines Based in WashingtonDC United States Follow him on social media for all his latest travelupdates
Allegiant Wants To Hire 184 Pilots InThe Coming MonthsAndrew Curran
What Is The Secret Behind AllegiantAnd Sun Countryrsquos SuccessJay Singh
Allegiant Air Is Not Concerned AboutBreeze AirwaysJay Singh
A Look At Frontierrsquos SouthernCalifornia ExpansionJay Singh
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Frontier Airlines Embarks On AnotherRound Of Network ExpansionJay Singh
US Winners Frontier And AllegiantLead The Airline Recovery PushJames Pearson
AdChoices Sponsored
United AirlinesMakes Huge Julyhellip
Sushi
Itrsquos not ONLY Unitedwith mask mandateshellip
6Top Comment
Why Do AirlineCaptains Sit On Thhellip
Alan1137
I have always beenaware that the captaihellip
6Top Comment
Your voice matters Discussions are moderated for civility Read our guidelines here
Conversation 1 Comment
Commenting as Guest Log In
What do you think
Sort by Newest
I IceCat 2K Points1 day ago
Some concerns about Sun CountryThe average base fare dropped from $140 to $99Fuel cost in higher Total revenue per ASM is down 25 If the cargo revenue of $215m which is all prot is taken away SY loss would have been in the neighborhood of $335m Sun Country is not well known outside of the Minnesota area just wondering if some of these crazy routes that have been announced will not be successful and be a drag on the earnings Allegiant will be just ne Frontier looks like they are still employing the throwing darts at a map and Spirit might be expanding to much to fast
2Reply
Powered by Terms | Privacy | Feedback
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
In rst place on base fare was Sun Country Photo Sun Country Airlines
Ancillary fares per passengerThis is a key metric for ULCCs The higher an airlinersquos ancillary spend the greater itssuccess in selling its additional non-fare products to its customers Herersquos what airlinesrecorded
1 Allegiant Air $57972 Spirit Airlines $52433 Frontier Airlines $49754 Sun Country $4298
Ancillary spend has in general held up better than fare spend Passengers may needto be tempted in with low fares but they are still purchasing bags seats or perhapsight exibility that contributes to ancillary spending
Sun Country Airlines gives its passengers just a few more perks than Allegiant or Spiritso its ancillary spend per passenger is a little lower But it is not that far o from otherairlines and the carrier can start to try and push that ancillary spend upwards
Were you surprised by any of the results from these ULCCs Which ULCC is yourfavorite to y with Let us know in the comments
ADVERTISEMENT
8 SHARE TWEET SHARE SHARE
Jay Singh
Deputy Content Manager amp Lead US Journalist - Jayrsquos extensive travelsand experience with premium products has given him incredible insightinto the wider landscape of commercial aviation Cited by TIME andIntelligent Aerospace among others and interviewed by major outlet
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
NPR Jayrsquos focus on route planning and eet developments allow him todig deeper into the stories behind the headlines Based in WashingtonDC United States Follow him on social media for all his latest travelupdates
Allegiant Wants To Hire 184 Pilots InThe Coming MonthsAndrew Curran
What Is The Secret Behind AllegiantAnd Sun Countryrsquos SuccessJay Singh
Allegiant Air Is Not Concerned AboutBreeze AirwaysJay Singh
A Look At Frontierrsquos SouthernCalifornia ExpansionJay Singh
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Frontier Airlines Embarks On AnotherRound Of Network ExpansionJay Singh
US Winners Frontier And AllegiantLead The Airline Recovery PushJames Pearson
AdChoices Sponsored
United AirlinesMakes Huge Julyhellip
Sushi
Itrsquos not ONLY Unitedwith mask mandateshellip
6Top Comment
Why Do AirlineCaptains Sit On Thhellip
Alan1137
I have always beenaware that the captaihellip
6Top Comment
Your voice matters Discussions are moderated for civility Read our guidelines here
Conversation 1 Comment
Commenting as Guest Log In
What do you think
Sort by Newest
I IceCat 2K Points1 day ago
Some concerns about Sun CountryThe average base fare dropped from $140 to $99Fuel cost in higher Total revenue per ASM is down 25 If the cargo revenue of $215m which is all prot is taken away SY loss would have been in the neighborhood of $335m Sun Country is not well known outside of the Minnesota area just wondering if some of these crazy routes that have been announced will not be successful and be a drag on the earnings Allegiant will be just ne Frontier looks like they are still employing the throwing darts at a map and Spirit might be expanding to much to fast
2Reply
Powered by Terms | Privacy | Feedback
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
NPR Jayrsquos focus on route planning and eet developments allow him todig deeper into the stories behind the headlines Based in WashingtonDC United States Follow him on social media for all his latest travelupdates
Allegiant Wants To Hire 184 Pilots InThe Coming MonthsAndrew Curran
What Is The Secret Behind AllegiantAnd Sun Countryrsquos SuccessJay Singh
Allegiant Air Is Not Concerned AboutBreeze AirwaysJay Singh
A Look At Frontierrsquos SouthernCalifornia ExpansionJay Singh
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Frontier Airlines Embarks On AnotherRound Of Network ExpansionJay Singh
US Winners Frontier And AllegiantLead The Airline Recovery PushJames Pearson
AdChoices Sponsored
United AirlinesMakes Huge Julyhellip
Sushi
Itrsquos not ONLY Unitedwith mask mandateshellip
6Top Comment
Why Do AirlineCaptains Sit On Thhellip
Alan1137
I have always beenaware that the captaihellip
6Top Comment
Your voice matters Discussions are moderated for civility Read our guidelines here
Conversation 1 Comment
Commenting as Guest Log In
What do you think
Sort by Newest
I IceCat 2K Points1 day ago
Some concerns about Sun CountryThe average base fare dropped from $140 to $99Fuel cost in higher Total revenue per ASM is down 25 If the cargo revenue of $215m which is all prot is taken away SY loss would have been in the neighborhood of $335m Sun Country is not well known outside of the Minnesota area just wondering if some of these crazy routes that have been announced will not be successful and be a drag on the earnings Allegiant will be just ne Frontier looks like they are still employing the throwing darts at a map and Spirit might be expanding to much to fast
2Reply
Powered by Terms | Privacy | Feedback
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
Frontier Airlines Embarks On AnotherRound Of Network ExpansionJay Singh
US Winners Frontier And AllegiantLead The Airline Recovery PushJames Pearson
AdChoices Sponsored
United AirlinesMakes Huge Julyhellip
Sushi
Itrsquos not ONLY Unitedwith mask mandateshellip
6Top Comment
Why Do AirlineCaptains Sit On Thhellip
Alan1137
I have always beenaware that the captaihellip
6Top Comment
Your voice matters Discussions are moderated for civility Read our guidelines here
Conversation 1 Comment
Commenting as Guest Log In
What do you think
Sort by Newest
I IceCat 2K Points1 day ago
Some concerns about Sun CountryThe average base fare dropped from $140 to $99Fuel cost in higher Total revenue per ASM is down 25 If the cargo revenue of $215m which is all prot is taken away SY loss would have been in the neighborhood of $335m Sun Country is not well known outside of the Minnesota area just wondering if some of these crazy routes that have been announced will not be successful and be a drag on the earnings Allegiant will be just ne Frontier looks like they are still employing the throwing darts at a map and Spirit might be expanding to much to fast
2Reply
Powered by Terms | Privacy | Feedback
5182021 ULCC Showdown How The First Quarter Compared Among US Carriers - Simple Flying
