The start of fall has been a difficult season for a number of smaller and low-cost airlines around the world. Scandinavian budget carriers Play and Braathens both left travelers across Europe stranded after abruptly shutting down all operations within a few days of each other, while charter airlines Verijet and Kachina Air also filed for bankruptcy in U.S. courts this October. As a final kicker to round off the month, the United Kingdom-based budget carrier Eastern Airways canceled all of its flights to ...

Core Viewpoint - Spirit Airlines' bankruptcy is expected to benefit its rival, Frontier Airlines, which is well-positioned to capture market share as Spirit restructures [1][2]. Group 1: Market Reactions - Frontier Airlines' share price increased by 14.5% following an upgrade to a "Buy" rating from Deutsche Bank, which also raised its 12-month price target from $4 to $8 [2]. - Frontier's stock had previously surged by 29% when Spirit first indicated financial troubles [2]. Group 2: Competitive Landscape - Analysts estimate that approximately 40% of Frontier's routes overlap with those of Spirit, indicating a significant opportunity for Frontier to attract Spirit's customers [3]. - Frontier recently announced 20 new routes, with only two not overlapping with Spirit's offerings, focusing on major Spirit hubs like Fort Lauderdale and Detroit [4]. Group 3: Spirit Airlines' Restructuring - As part of its Chapter 11 restructuring, Spirit plans to redesign its network to concentrate on key markets [8]. - Spirit's fleet consists of 214 aircraft, with 157 currently in use. The airline plans to reduce its active fleet by approximately 50 aircraft due to financial constraints and operational issues [9]. Group 4: Pricing Implications - The competition between Frontier and Spirit has historically resulted in fares being 15% lower on overlapping routes, but Spirit's reduction in capacity may allow other airlines to increase prices [10][11].