Is Spirit Airlines getting better?

Despite comedians' digs, Spirit has improved its reliability in recent years — and is faring better than JetBlue by some measures. JetBlue came in last among 10 airlines in on-time arrivals this year through May, while Spirit ranked seventh, according to the Transportation Department's latest available data.



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The U.S. Justice Department is suing to block JetBlue's proposed $3.8 billion purchase of Spirit, arguing that it will hurt competition and raise prices by eliminating Spirit, the nation's biggest discount airline. A trial is scheduled to start next month in federal court in Boston.

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Spirit Airlines' flight cancellations can stem from a variety of factors such as weather disruptions, maintenance issues, crew availability, or logistical challenges. These occurrences are not unique to Spirit; all airlines face similar challenges occasionally.

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BTS data from July 2021 to June 2022 shows Hawaiian performed best of all U.S. airlines with just a 0.81% cancellation rate. Delta took second place again — with a cancellation rate of 1.63%. Meanwhile, merger partners JetBlue (3.81%) and Spirit Airlines (4.11%) canceled the highest percentage of all flights.

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Frontier Airlines has had the worst on-time arrival performance so far in 2023. Just 65.41% of Frontier flights arrived on time from January through April 2023.

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In 2022 year, Frontier Airlines reported 20.26 customer complaints for each 100,000 enplanements on domestic-scheduled operations. This was the highest rate of customer complaints among U.S. carriers.

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How the major airlines ranked for cancellations in 2022
  • Frontier Airlines – 2.87% of flights canceled.
  • Spirit Airlines – 3% of flights canceled.
  • Southwest Airlines – 3.26% of flights canceled.
  • Allegiant Air – 3.52% of flights canceled.
  • JetBlue Airways – 3.74% of flights canceled.


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Yes it's possible to have an uneventful flight with them. Most travelers on Spirit have no issues.

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If your Spirit flight was delayed, canceled, or overbooked within the last 3 years, the compensation amount for which you are eligible is up to $670 (600).

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Nearly 60% of Spirit Airlines flights experience delays after technical issues with its website, app and airport kiosks. Spirit Airlines self check-in kiosks are pictured at the Oakland International Airport in Oakland, California, Tuesday, June 21, 2022.

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In some sense, Spirit's bad reputation is not without merit. The airline is rightly criticized for its misleading fee system, which shows you a low price — called a “bare fare” — but has a substantial catch: The price you see frequently includes only a small personal item and the flight ticket.

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Fitch Ratings - New York - 12 Sep 2023: Fitch Ratings has revised the Rating Outlook for Spirit Airlines to Negative from Stable and affirmed Spirit's Long-term Issuer Default Rating at 'B+'. Fitch has also affirmed Spirit IP Cayman Ltd.'s and Spirit Loyalty Cayman Ltd.'s senior secured debt at 'BB+'/'RR1'.

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Spirit Airlines was acquired by JetBlue Airways for $3.8B on Jul 28, 2022 .

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According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Spirit had an on-time flight percentage of 69%, delayed flight percentage of 29%, and cancelled flight percentage at 2% in the first 3 months of 2023.

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Tuesday was the clear winner with the least cancellations and the least flight delays, with Monday close behind. According to the study, the best days of the week to fly are Tuesday and Monday, and the worst days of the week to fly are Thursday and Friday.

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If you're looking for the most reliable airline in 2022 and 2023 overall, that title is awarded to Delta Airlines, who had the highest on-time flight percentage - 83.52% (2022) and 80.18% (2023).

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A graphic of Wallethub's 2023 airline ranking. In terms of other key findings, Delta Air Lines was named the most reliable airline, while the least reliable was Frontier Airlines.

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The overall worst airport in the US for delays is JFK, based on our study of over 40,000 flights from the summer of 2022. JFK is followed by Chicago Midway, Newark, Orlando International, LaGuardia, and Denver.

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