As I predicted a few months ago, United and Frontier are positioning themselves to benefit from Spirit’s demise, plus the biggest thing they are missing.
United aligns for a few reasons. Fleet commonality is helpful, though Delta and American Airlines both also feature a significant Airbus A320-family fleet. American already has deliveries arriving soon and couldn’t really make use of a Fort Lauderdale hub given its massive presence just down the beach in Miami, but United has quietly toyed with the notion of a southeastern US hub.
United CEO, Scott Kirby, has been far more aggressive for expansion, jumping the line to grab new A320s from Airbus. He’s also been clear that he does not believe the Ultra Low Cost Carrier model is long for this world, though he essentially operates a business segment that mirrors exactly the ULCC model nickel and diming for every possible revenue channel. Basic economy was its strongest growth segment.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
