NEW YORK (Reuters) – A federal appeals court revived a lawsuit by Spirit Airlines passengers who said the low-cost carrier blindsided them by imposing unexpected carry-on bag fees on tickets bought through Cheapoair, Expedia, Priceline and Travelocity.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said 22 passengers could sue for breach of contract because there was no evidence that Spirit promptly notified them about the fees, and there were “ambiguities” in the prices they would pay.
Spirit and its lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Compared with many carriers, Spirit relies more on ancillary fees to offset the financial drag from lower base fares.
The plaintiffs accused the Miramar, Florida-based carrier of knowing that its online travel agents hid the “gotcha” bag fees they would have to pay at the airport.
They said these fees often exceeded the cost of their tickets, and totaled millions of dollars a year.
Spirit countered that federal law precluded the lawsuit, and that its “contract of carriage” specifically provided that a passenger could take one carry-on bag into the cabin, for a fee.
The appeals court returned the case to U.S. District Judge William Kuntz in Brooklyn, who had dismissed it last November.
“This is a great victory for air travelers nationwide,” the plaintiffs’ lawyer John Hermina said in an interview. He said his clients will pursue their case in the district court.
On Tuesday, Spirit advertised carry-on bag fees for an Oct. 1 flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from New York’s LaGuardia Airport ranging from $28, if booked on its website, to $65, if paid at the gate. Base fares ranged from $26 to $121.99.
The case is Cox et al v Spirit Airlines Inc, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 18-3484.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Richard Chang)
LAS VEGAS, Sept. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Allegiant Travel Company (ALGT) today reported preliminary passenger traffic results for August 2019.
Allegiant Travel Company
Las Vegas-based Allegiant is an integrated travel company with an airline at its heart, focused on connecting customers with premier leisure experiences – from vacations to hometown family entertainment. Since 1999, Allegiant Air has linked travelers in small-to-medium cities to world-class vacation destinations with all-nonstop flights and industry-low average fares. Today, Allegiant serves more than 450 routes across the country, with base airfares less than half the cost of the average domestic roundtrip ticket. Allegiant’s Sunseeker Resorts subsidiary is currently under construction with its inaugural resort property, Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor in Southwest Florida – a unique waterside integrated resort like no other. And a growing group of Allegiant Nonstop family entertainment centers offer state-of-the art indoor games and attractions to thrill seekers of all ages. For more information, visit us at Allegiant.com. Media information, including photos, is available at http://gofly.us/iiFa303wrtF
ALGT/G
Note: This news release was accurate at the date of issuance. However, information contained in the release may have changed. If you plan to use the information contained herein for any purpose, verification of its continued accuracy is your responsibility.
NEWARK, N.J. Aug. 27, 2019 – Low Fare carrier, Frontier Airlines, today announces new low-cost service from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) with 15 nonstop routes, including two international destinations: Cancun**, Mexico and Punta Cana**, Dominican Republic. To celebrate this new, low-cost service, Frontier is offering fares as low as $15* in addition to allowing customers to take advantage of the airline’s unique Kids Fly Free offer — both are available at flyfrontier.com.
The new routes include the only low-cost, nonstop options from EWR to Cancun**, Mexico; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Miami; Punta Cana**, Dominican Republic; Phoenix; Raleigh, N.C., and San Juan**. In addition, Frontier will offer the only nonstop, cross-country option to Ontario, Calif., opening an affordable, convenient option for travel to the Los Angeles area.
“We’re excited to make flying more affordable for the Garden State with 15 new routes from Newark,” Barry Biffle, President and CEO of Frontier Airlines said. “With fares as low as $15, we hope we inspire more people to fly and are delighted to meet that demand with our ‘Low Fares Done Right’ promise. This includes a focus on serving families as well as the environment with a more sustainable approach to flying.”
Frontier’s flights from Newark will operate entirely outside the delay prone afternoon hours, ensuring the airline can deliver its signature ‘Low Fares Done Right’ service – combining a great low fare with an outstanding flight experience. “We’d like to thank our partners at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the FAA for helping to establish Frontier as an effective low fare option at Newark Liberty Airport, without further contributing to delays in the most congested hours,” Daniel Shurz, senior vice president of commercial for Frontier Airlines said.
New routes from EWR beginning Nov. 14, 2019:
TO/FROM
SERVICE FREQUENCY
INTRO FARE
APPLICABLE DAYS FOR INTRO FARE:
McCarran International Airport (LAS)
Daily
$15*
Tuesday, Wednesday
Orlando International Airport (MCO)
Twice Daily
$15*
Tuesday, Wednesday
Miami International Airport (MIA)
Daily(Twice Daily eff. Dec. 10, 2019)
$15*
Tuesday, Wednesday
San Juan Airport (SJU)**
Daily
$29*
Tuesday, Wednesday
New routes from EWR beginning Dec. 10, 2019:
TO/FROM
SERVICE FREQUENCY
INTRO FARE
APPLICABLE DAYS FOR INTRO FARE:
Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
Daily
$15*
Tuesday, Wednesday
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
Daily
$15*
Tuesday, Wednesday
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
Daily
$15*
Tuesday, Wednesday
Service to Palm Beach is seasonal, frequency and times are subject to change, so please check FlyFrontier.com for the most updated schedule.
New routes from EWR beginning March and April 2020 with tickets going on sale at a later date:
TO/FROM
Tampa International Airport (TPA)
Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ)**
Cancun International Airport (CUN)**
Denver International Airport (DEN)
Ontario International Airport (ONT)
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
“We are proud to be considered America’s Greenest Airline,” Biffle continued. “Frontier is the most fuel-efficient airline in the U.S., offering passengers both the most affordable and sustainable approach to flying.”
Frontier operates over 90 A320 family aircraft and has the largest A320neo fleet in the U.S., delivering the highest level of noise reduction and fuel-efficiency, compared to previous models. The use of these aircraft, Frontier’s seating configuration, weight-saving tactics, and baggage process have all contributed to the airline’s average of 39% fuel savings compared to other U.S. airlines (fuel savings is based on Frontier Airlines 2018 fuel consumption per seat-mile compared to the weighted average of major U.S. airlines). More information about Frontier’s green commitments are available at FlyGreener.com.
Frontier is committed to families. One of the most popular family offers is Kids Fly Free whereby one kid can fly free for every adult with Discount Den travel club membership on select dates and flights. Additional information about Kids Fly Free is available at https://www.flyfrontier.com/kidsflyfree. In addition to Kids Fly Free, Frontier offers special rewards and status benefits for the whole family. Plus, every Frontier aircraft features a unique animal on its tail — from Griz the Bear to Otto the Owl, to Flo the Flamingo — kids will enjoy getting to know their new animal friends.
Frontier is focused on more than low fares. The carrier offers customers the ability to customize travel to their needs and budget. For example, customers can purchase options a la carte or in one low-priced bundle called the WORKS. This bundle includes refundability, a carry-on bag, a checked bag, the best available seat, waived change fees, and priority boarding.
The airline’s frequent flier program, FRONTIER Miles lets members enjoy many benefits as well as the ability to attain Elite status. Like the airline, FRONTIER Miles is family-friendly, and the program makes it easy for families to enjoy the rewards together, including family pooling of miles. FRONTIER Miles is aptly named because you earn one mile for every mile flown – no funny formulas at Frontier. If a customer travels a little or a lot, they will find FRONTIER Miles rewarding.
With over 150 new Airbus planes on order, Frontier will continue to grow to deliver on the mission of providing affordable travel across America. Frontier’s young fleet also ensures that the company keeps fares low and that customers will enjoy a pleasant and reliable experience flying with the airline.
Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) today announced the carrier will add new service to, from, and within Hawaii in mid-January 2020 with new, daily service between Sacramento International Airport (SMF) and Honolulu. In addition, new service nonstop between both of the carrier’s Hawaii gateways in the Bay Area, Oakland and San Jose, and both Kauai and the Island of Hawaii, will give Southwest Customers access to 18 flights transiting the Pacific each day between three California cities and four of the five airports Southwest will serve in the Aloha State.
Today’s schedule publication extends an ability for the carrier’s Customers to book Southwest travel through March 6, 2020, and also puts on sale the first-ever Southwest service to Lihue Airport (LIH) on Kauai and Hilo International Airport (ITO) on the Island of Hawaii.
With these additions, Southwest will operate a total 34 departures a day on interisland routes, including newly available service between Honolulu and Lihue & Honolulu and Hilo, four times daily in each direction. It will offer service nonstop between Kahului and Kona once daily in each direction.
Hawaii service details for previously announced gateway San Diego will be announced later.
In celebration of the expansion, Customers now may book the carrier’s second wave of Hawaii service at Southwest.com/Hawaii with launch fares on sale today only for as low as:
Fly Southwest between:
Nonstop service begins:
Book today only, one-way travel as low as:
When traveling on Tuesdays or Wednesdays:
Sacramento & Honolulu
January 19
$99
Jan. 21 – March 4, 2020
Oakland & Kona
January 19
$99
Jan. 22 – March 4, 2020
San Jose & Lihue
January 19
$99
Jan. 22 – March 4, 2020
Oakland & Lihue
January 21
$99
Jan. 21 – March 3, 2020
San Jose & Kona
January 21
$99
Jan. 21 – March 3, 2020
The carrier is offering introductory pricing on new interisland flights:
Fly Southwest interislandbetween:
Nonstop service begins:
Book through Aug. 22, one- way travel as low as:
When traveling on Tuesdays or Wednesdays:
Honolulu & Lihue
January 19
$29
Jan. 21 – March 4, 2020
Honolulu & Hilo
January 19
$29
Jan. 21 – March 4, 2020
Kahului & Kona
January 19
$29
Jan. 21 – March 4, 2020
Fares are available through 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on the purchase-by dates specified above.Travel on these fares is valid only on certain days of week and seats are limited. Please see complete fare sale rules below.
“We’re energized by the warm aloha Southwest has enjoyed in response to our initial Hawaii offering and this second wave of service is an investment that broadens our everyday value through low fares, no fees to change tickets (though fare difference may apply), and two checked bags free* for everyone,” said Tom Nealon, Southwest Airlines President. “We’re focused on bringing Hawaii an authentically Southwest experience with comfort across all seating—for every Customer—along with in-cabin snack enhancements for our flights between Hawaii and the mainland.”
Sees first Max deliveries in October (Adds quotes; details on Max 737 delays)
DUBLIN, May 20 (Reuters) – Ryanair reported its weakest annual profit in four years on Monday and said earnings could fall further as European airlines wage what Chief Executive Michael O’Leary described as “attritional fare wars.”
After initially falling 6%, the shares made up some ground after O’Leary, who helped to develop the no-frills airline model in Europe, argued that lower fares and profitability for a couple of years were a price worth paying to boost market share and hasten consolidation.
O’Leary said the lower fares and profit were cyclical and that four or five European airlines were likely to emerge as the winners in the sector.
“Our strategy would be to keep adding capacity as quickly as we can in all the markets where we can,” said O’Leary, who has been in charge of Ryanair since 1994.
“Will it be painful for a year or two, yes it will. But will it shake out more of the competition, yes it will.”
Ryanair, Europe’s largest low-cost operator, had already signalled a sharp fall in profitability due largely to overcapacity in two warnings last year.
Its 29% fall in after-tax profits to 1.02 billion euros ($1.14 billion) for its financial year to March 31 was in line with investor forecasts.
But its profit forecast for the current financial year to end-March 2020 of between 750 million and 950 million euros, was “considerably worse than expected,” Goodbody analyst Mark Simpson said in a note.
A company poll of analysts published ahead of the release had forecast a figure of 977 million euros.
O’Leary said the forecast was effectively for profits to remain flat as the 2020 figure includes recently acquired and loss-making Laudamotion unit for the first time and would be a “very good outcome.” The equivalent figure in 2019 would have been 880 million.
737 MAX GROUNDING
Several rival airlines have warned of a worse trading environment – partly due to overcapacity and partly because European travellers are holding off booking their summer holidays for fear of how the Brexit process will pan out.
Alistair Wittet, portfolio manager at Comgest, which has a 0.74% stake in Ryanair according to Refinitiv Eikon, said some investors appeared to have been convinced by O’Leary’s line of argument.
“The long-term opportunity is fantastic for a company like Ryanair because that capacity will come out” even if Ryanair has to go through a lot more pain than expected in the meantime, Wittet said.
Ryanair has also been affected by delays in the delivery of the Boeing 737 MAX after its worldwide grounding in March following a fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash.
The airline, which has ordered 135 737 MAX 200s and has options on 75 more, was expecting to receive its first five planes between April and June but said it now expects them to be flying by November. O’Leary said he was “reasonably confident” it would have around 50 MAX aircraft flying next summer.
The grounding has forced Ryanair to cut around 1 million seats in the year to March 2020. But it still expects to fly 153 million passengers in the period, up from 139 million last year.
The airline plans to have a conversation with Boeing about “modest compensation”, Chief Financial Officer Neil Sorohan said.
Ryanair’s shares were trading down 3 percent at 10.46 euros at 1250 GMT, down over 40% from a peak of 19.39 euros in August 2017, before the airline was hit by a wave of industrial unrest, fare weakness and the grounding of the MAX.
In what O’Leary described as a vote of confidence from the board, Ryanair will begin a 700 million euro share buyback in the coming days. ($1 = 0.8966 euros)
(Additional reporting by Helen Reid; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Louise Heavens)
FILE PHOTO: Travelers check-in at a JetBlue Airways kiosk at John F. Kennedy Airport in the Queens borough of New York, U.S., January 24, 2017. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
(Reuters)
– JetBlue Airways Corp hopes to break into the low-fare, transatlantic
travel market beginning in 2021 with multiple daily flights from New
York and Boston to London, its first European destination, the carrier
said on Wednesday.
To
service the routes, the sixth largest U.S. carrier will convert 13
Airbus A321LR aircraft from its existing order book with a fresh version
of its Mint business product.
The
idea is to offer customers a fresh choice on routes where JetBlue
President Joanna Geraghty said current competitor fares “are enough to
make you blush.”
New
York-based JetBlue, which unveiled the long-awaited launch at an
employee event at John F. Kennedy International Airport, said it is
still evaluating which London airports it will serve.
The
company, which has built a reputation in the United States for more
coach legroom than competitors and free broadband internet, has argued
for regulators to force slot divestitures at high-traffic airports like
London’s Heathrow to create a level playing field for new entrants.
A
handful of Europe-based budget carriers have tried to penetrate the
transatlantic market in recent years, but only cash-strapped Norwegian
Air is still standing.
Iceland’s
WOW, PrimeraAir Nordic, Britain’s Flybmi and Monarch Airlines and
Cypriot carrier Cobalt have all ceased operations in a sector grappling
with over-capacity and high fuel costs.
JetBlue said it will raise the bar on what travellers can expect from a low-cost carrier, particularly in Europe.
The
carrier has argued in the past that its version of business class,
Mint, has driven a 50 percent decline in premium fares on some competing
U.S. routes, a reduction it believes it can also deliver for premium
travel between the United States and Europe.
“JetBlue’s
Mint product suits the Atlantic market as they will likely come in with
stimulative fares to drive customer awareness and loyalty,” Cowen
analyst Helane Becker said in a recent note to clients.
The
main issue will be whether JetBlue is able to gain access at major
international airports, she said, like London Heathrow and Amsterdam
Schiphol.
(Reporting by Tracy Rucinski, editing by G Crosse)
DENVER, Colo. – Low-fare carrier Frontier Airlines continues to add routes, announcing five more non-stop flights from Branson Airport (BKG), Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport (CLE), and Nashville International Airport (BNA). Service begins in spring 2019. To celebrate the addition of these new flights, Frontier is offering introductory one-way fares as low as $29*, available now on flyfrontier.com.
Routes & Frequency:
Branson:
Cleveland:
Nashville:
Frequency and times are subject to change, so please check FlyFrontier.com for the most updated schedule.
Additionally, Frontier is expanding service between Chicago (ORD) and both Fort Myers and Tampa into the summer season with flights twice/week to Fort Myers and 3 times/week to Tampa.
“With this announcement, Frontier has now added 34 new routes for 2019 across the country,” said Daniel Shurz, Senior Vice President, Commercial for Frontier Airlines. “We continue to make air travel more accessible and affordable and we look forward to making it easier for people to fly, and for people to fly more often.”
Frontier is focused on more than low fares. The carrier offers customers the ability to customize travel to their needs and budget. For example, customers can purchase options a la carte or in one low-priced bundle called the WORKSsm. This bundle includes refundability, a carry-on bag, a checked bag, the best available seat, waived change fees and priority boarding.
The airline’s frequent flier program, FRONTIER Miles lets members enjoy many benefits as well as attain Elite status. Like the airline, FRONTIER Miles is family friendly, and the program makes it easy for families to enjoy the rewards together, including family pooling of miles. FRONTIER Milesis aptly named, because you earn one mile for every mile flown – no funny formulas at Frontier. If a customer travels a little or a lot, they will find FRONTIER Miles rewarding.
Frontier flies one of the youngest fleets in the industry, the Airbus A320 Family of more than 80 jet aircraft. With nearly 200 new planes on order, Frontier will continue to grow to deliver on the mission of providing affordable travel across America. Frontier’s young fleet also ensures that the company will continue to keep fares low and that customers will enjoy a pleasant and reliable experience flying with the airline.
Frontier wants its customers to have more options when they fly and there is no fee for reservation changes made 90 days or more from the travel date. If you need to make a change between 89 and 14 days from departure, the fee is only $49. Changes made 13 days or less from travel cost $119. When making a change, customers just pay any increase in fare that applies.
*About Intro Fare Offer:
Fares must be purchased by 11:59 pm Eastern time on Jan. 17, 2019 for nonstop travel. Travel is valid Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Saturdays dependent on days of operation through June 13, 2019. The following blackout date applies, May 28, 2019. Fares are one-way and do not require roundtrip purchase.
Ryanair, Europe’s No 1 airline, today (22 Oct) launched a massive one day “Million-Air” seat sale with over 1 million seats on sale for just £9.99 across its European network for travel from November to March, ensuring even more savings for its customers.
These incredible £9.99 fares are available for booking from now until midnight (24:00hrs) Tuesday (23 Oct) and can only be found on the Ryanair.com website.
Ryanair’s Robin Kiely said:
“We’ve launched a ‘Million-Air’ seat sale with one million £9.99 seats across our entire European network for travel from November to March, ensuring Ryanair customers can holiday like millionaires, on the lowest fares.
This amazing offer will end at midnight (24:00hrs) on Tuesday (23 Oct), so customers should log on quickly and bag a bargain break.”
