Skift Take
Spirit Airlines says its business model carrying budget-minded flyers cheaply from point A to point B is sound. And even with the threat of a new domestic Covid testing mandate, the carrier is bullish on its prospects to grow this year.
The number of opponents to a possible Covid-19 testing requirement for all U.S. domestic flights keeps rising. From the halls of Congress to the nation's largest airlines, just about everyone with a stake in travel is lining up against a policy that is widely believed to be the equivalent of taking a sledgehammer to kill a fly — a potentially large economic hit that could do little to stop the spread of the virus.
South Florida-based Spirit Airlines, the country's largest ultra low-cost carrier — or one defined by low costs and low fares plus extra fees for just about every amenity — is the latest to weigh in. Executives warn of a dramatic impact on travel demand plus high implementation costs, especially at a time when the U.S. is still struggling to expand coronavirus testing capacity.
“We do not support the idea," said Spirit CEO Ted Christie during a fourth quarter earnings call on Thursday. "We don’t think it addresses the issue … it would be logistically extremely difficult to do and expensive.”
A domestic travel testing mandate faces fierce headwinds. The CEOs of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlin
