Spirit Airlines and Frontier Group Holdings have announced a merger agreement to create America’s most competitive ultra-low fare carrier.
The airlines say they expect to bring more ultra-low fares to more travellers in more destinations across the US, Latin America and the Caribbean – to major cities as well as underserved communities.
William A Franke, the chair of Frontier’s board of directors and the managing partner of Indigo Partners, Frontier’s majority shareholder, explained that Indigo has a long history with both Spirit and Frontier.
He said: “We worked jointly with the board of directors and senior management team across both carriers to arrive at a combination of two complementary businesses that together will create America’s most competitive ultra-low fare airline for the benefit of consumers.”
Ted Christie, President and CEO of Spirit, said the carrier is thrilled to join forces with Frontier to further democratise air travel. He said: “This transaction is centred around creating an aggressive ultra-low fare competitor to serve our guests even better, expand career opportunities for our team members and increase competitive pressure, resulting in more consumer-friendly fares for the flying public. We look forward to uniting our talented teams to shake up the airline industry while also continuing our commitment to excellent guest service.”
Barry Biffle, President and CEO of Frontier, said: “Together, Frontier and Spirit will be America’s greenest airline and deliver more ultra-low fares to more people in more places. I couldn’t be more excited for our team members, customers, partners, the communities we serve and our shareholders.”
