Spirit Airlines, with a long established reputation as an ultra low-cost service provider, is now introducing business class seating in an attempt to counteract revenue loss and increased competition.
The airline is known for its limited ticket inclusions, essentially not providing free services beyond the seat itself. Spirit has capitalised on services such as Wi-Fi, snacks and check-in bags as paid extras. Now, the new “Go Big” ticket class offers a premium pricing option for passengers willing to pay more for an enhanced experience, seated at the front of the plane in extra-wide seats. Customers are offered priority check-in and boarding, one carry-on bag, one checked-in bag, streaming access, food and the choice of either alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks.
Further extra-comfort options are being added to the carrier’s price offerings, including a ticket with a blocked middle seat allowing passengers the same legroom but more surrounding space. It also features similar additional perks such as carry-on and checked-in baggage, a snack and non-alcoholic beverage, along with priority boarding.
“We’re unveiling a new era in Spirit’s history and taking low-fare travel to new heights with enhanced options that are unlike anything we’ve offered before,” said Ted Christie, the CEO of Spirit.
The strategic inspiration comes from the successes of larger established air service carriers such as United and Delta, who have been highly lucrative in the resurrection of the airline industry since the pandemic brought the majority of travel to a standstill. Offering premium pricing points including services such as priority boarding, extra legroom and widened seats have been a defining factor in their recent record-high revenue.
Following the blocked merger earlier this year between Spirit and JetBlue Airways in an attempt to cut recent losses, Spirit Airlines hopes to regain competitiveness through the addition of their upgraded flying options.
“What we realised now is that we were sort of ceding other markets to other airlines,” commented Christie. “Now we’re saying, no, we can still do what we were doing before, but we’re also going to compete for people who are willing or want a little bit more of a premium feel and would pay for that. They just didn’t have it on us.”
Spirit is not the first carrier to begin evolving beyond their low-cost model in the hope of augmenting sales during the last few years. Once the most profitable airline in the US, Southwest Airlines has faced annual losses since the pandemic. The provider will begin to provide reserved seating on its flights along with updated aircraft in 2025 designed to accommodate the introduction of higher tier tickets by extending legroom across one third of its rows.
