Frontier Airlines: Taking Over Spirit's Turf

Frontier Airlines is making a bold move. They are setting their sights on Spirit Airlines' customers. Spirit has been struggling financially. They recently warned that they might not last another year without more money. This has opened up an opportunity for Frontier. Frontier has announced plans to launch 20 new routes this winter. Many of these routes are in areas where Spirit operates. This includes flights from Fort Lauderdale International Airport. Frontier will now compete directly with Spirit on 35% of its capacity. This is the highest overlap with any other airline, according to Deutsche Bank analyst Michael Linenberg. Some of the new routes from Fort Lauderdale include flights to Detroit, Houston, Chicago, and Charlotte. Frontier is also expanding its reach from Houston. They will now offer flights to New Orleans, San Pedro Sula in Honduras, and Guatemala City. Frontier has tried to merge with Spirit in the past, but those attempts failed. When asked about a potential buyout, Frontier CEO Barry Biffle said he was not interested in discussing mergers. Instead, he believes Frontier will naturally take over a significant portion of Spirit's market share if Spirit collapses. This move by Frontier is strategic. They are positioning themselves to benefit from Spirit's financial troubles. It's a classic case of one company capitalizing on another's weakness. The airline industry is tough, and only the strong survive.