Spirit Airlines Q1 2012 operational results announced

Spirit Airlines flights performed exceedingly well in the first quarter of 2012. The airline recently announced its Q1 operational results for this year on a quite optimistic note.

The airline in a statement said that its total operating revenue for the first quarter 2012 was $301.5 million, an increase of $68.8 million, or 29.6 percent, as compared to the same period in 2011. The total revenue per available seat mile increased to 11.65 cents, up 10.1 percent, as compared to Q1 2011, driven primarily by higher operating yields which were up 9.1 percent and a load factor increase of 0.8 points to 84.8 percent.

The airline further said that the total revenue per passenger flight segment for Q1 2012 was $128.33, an increase of 2.7 percent as compared to the same period last year. The average non-ticket revenue for the first quarter this year increased 21.3 percent y-o-y to over $50 ($51.68) per PFS, with average ticket revenue per PFS for the quarter decreasing 6.9 percent y-o-y to $76.65.

The airline cited increased capacity (available seat miles) and a network orientation in mid-2011 that added capacity in Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago and Las Vegas, as the chief factors that contributed to the increase in operating revenues.