ManFlex

Exactly. Spirit has been around longer than JetBlue. They just weren't doing anything of note for nearly the first twenty years.

Gunga Galunga

this is just more delusional Delta-speak. Spirit very well has the chance to be as dominant as Southwest is. Granted the new business model has only been around for 6 years, the airline is hardly a start up. Whats the scorn for? Is it the highest performing airline stock in the nation? The lowest CASM of any airline in the US? A business model that carries zero debt, a fleet plan that triples by 2021 or 5 years of consecutive profitability under the new model? Maybe it's the because we are the worldwide leader in percentage based ancillary revenue?

I by no means think Spirit is the be-all and end-all and Spirit does have some large hills to climb with customer expectations and service (gate and ticket agents) but I've had it up to my eyeballs with Delta employees acting like they are the only successful airline in history. Don't worry, we are not coming after your double 14 carat gold diamond medallion flyers. Check back with us in a few years to see how things are progressing. Until then enjoy Peachtree City and be sure to re-charge your golf cart

gloopy

There's only so much low hanging fruit.

TQ Nola

LATAM is Lan and Tam, members of Oneworld.

TenYearsGone

You are forgetting one minor detail!!! You guys HAD THE B@LLS to go out on Strike. Kudos!! You bettered your work rules and pay by a million miles.

Good Job!

TEN

Sniper

Only publicly traded airlines are ranked - the privately owned ones (and/or the sovereign wealth fund owned ones) aren't ranked, since their financials are impossible to independently vet - that includes Emirates, Eithad, Qatar, and Virgin America. It's hard to know if a business is well-run if the ownership can (no proof they do - or don't- do this) reach into their pocket and pull an unlimited stash of cash out to 'help out the business'.

The carriers were ranked on:

• Financial health (30%)
• Earnings performance (30%)
• Capital efficiency (20%)
• Business model performance (20%)

And yeah, by those measures, Delta scored a 59.4, 12th best overall, 3rd best of airlines with revenues greater than $6B, 5th best in North America, and the 3rd most improved year over year, bettering their score by 19.4 points.

That's good, but it's not nearly as good as Spirit (74.1), or Allegiant (78.4). Allegiant was only .4 behind Copa, and finished first last year. Alaska scored a 63.7.

Richard Anderson's doing well, but Delta still has a TON of debt, 3.48 times as much as all of Delta's shareholder equity - that's over $40B of debt. Spirit has ... ZERO debt. Allegiant is in a similarly excellent financial position - a better one, overall, if you can imagine.

It's just good to see that the US airline industry is recovering, and is looking to be well capitalized going into the future. That bodes well for all professional aviators in the US, but especially those who happen to be employed at these well-managed companies. May good fortune continue to smile upon us all.

Herman

Ah yes...the "Land of Misfit Toys". Ned's kids indeed. Ironically, Coke is based in Atlanta.

tsquare

Whoa whoa.. back it up Cali Chrome. To be as dominant as SWA is a bit of a reach, but I think Spirit has a definite niche that they can exploit. I think your baseline fare and extra for everything else is an awesome idea. I really hope that you start charging by weight and then everybody will follow suit in that regard. My comment might have been a little over the top and for that I apologize. (Actually I didn't know we were talking about Spirit at the time).

I think what you are seeing from most of the DAL folks is extreme happiness at the turnaround that we have seen here, and the willingness to dance in the streets over it. Something you have NOT experienced, and have no perception of, is going from a certain level to wondering if your company.. one that has been around for decades, will be around in a month. So with that, I'll bow out of this thread. Have a nice weekend.

DeadStick

With neither party doing much to alleviate the attrition of the middle class I suspect the "low hanging fruit" demographic will continue to grow.

Gunga Galunga

I apologize for such a hair-triggered response. Wasn't my intention to start a ******* match on NK vs DL. Spirit may be a great career for anyone on property now. With high risk comes high reward. Some of us are willing to accept the risk of fast seniority and large growth against a long term and stable airline like Delta. My level of frustration is with many pilots not understanding our history, business model, growth and potential. And no, I have not experienced the decade Delta has endured and it's completely understandable for all of you to relish in the current success. I too bow out of this thread.