Spirit Airlines earn above $100 on extras per passenger in Q1

Spirit Airlines flights have earned additional revenues in the first quarter of this year. The airline recently declared its operational results and said that the passengers booking Spirit Airlines flights tickets for a return flight spent an average of more than $100 on extras, such as checked bags and boarding passes during Q1 2012. Enthused by its additional revenues, the airline claimed it to be an industry first.

Spirit Airlines has more often faced growing criticism for starting such a practice in charging for so-called ancillary services. The airline stripped down its fares to offer only a ticket, while charging extra for carry-on bags. This strategy has helped make the airline to emerge as among the most profitable in the global aviation industry.

Ben Baldanza, Chief Executive of Spirit Airlines, said that ancillaries accounted for 40.3 percent of revenue in Q1 this year, as compared with 34.1 percent during the same period in 2011. The airline’s average non-ticket revenue rose 21 percent to $51.68 for each flight segment. An elated Baldanza said he believed no one else in the industry had broken the $50 barrier.

However, Spirit Airlines’ average fare in fact dipped in Q1 by 6.9 percent to $76.65, in contrast to its network rivals that have been pushing up ticket prices to cover higher jet fuel costs.