The carrier will soon allow passengers to book tickets that come with traditional free carry-on baggage
Spirit Airlines is making a huge change as it fights for its corporate survival. The company announced Tuesday that it is introducing a new series of flight classes — including something like a regular airline ticket — in a move that breaks from its traditional bare-bones offerings.
“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 CEO Ted Christie in a statement accompanying the news. Though Spirit was up as much as 10% in Tuesday trading, they’ve since settled to about a 4% rise.
The carrier is breaking up its Big Front Seat-and-everything-else flights into a few new groupings for fares starting August 27:
💺 The “Go Big” class will include a first-class Big Seat plus snacks and drinks, a free carry-on, and a free checked bag
💺 The “Go Comfy” class will include a free carry-on, a free checked bag, and a blocked middle seat
💺 The “Go Savvy” class will include free seat selection and a either a checked bag or carry-on
💺 The “Go” class will be a traditional Spirit ticket where you book a seat and pay for everything else (picking the seat, printing the boarding pass, snacks, etc.)
Plus, the Big and Comfy classes will get priority boarding. The move is reminiscent of a similar shift at Southwest Airlines, which is also breaking with decades of tradition to end its free-for-all seating arrangements as it fights off an activist hedge fund investor.
Since Spirit and JetBlue Airways called off their merger in March, Spirit has been seen as a doomed entity. Despite Tuesday’s bump, shares are down more than 80% for the year. It’s having to furlough pilots and delay plane deliveries. Creditors are bracing for a bankruptcy, even though Christie has denied the possibility. The company presents earnings Wednesday, and analysts are expecting it to post its 11th consecutive quarterly loss.
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