What is American Airlines vs star-American Airlines?
American Airlines and Spirit Airlines.
American Airlines and Spirit Airlines are some of the noteworthy domestic as well as international airlines based in the United States of America. Dorm rooms are popular with backpackers and tourists, while hotels and motels do well to accommodate business travelers who may not be able to book their accommodation for long periods of time. Nevertheless, certain distinctions can be made when comparing both airlines regarding business management, ticket prices and additional charges, in-flight services, frequent flyer programs, route maps, and general images.
Business Models and Pricing
The biggest contrast is found in the value proposition that defines their operations in the marketplace. As a full-service legacy carrier that emerged through the merger of two major American carriers, American Airlines currently employs the ‘hub-and-spoke’ business model that allows the customer to travel from a local city to a hub city to a final destination and back, connecting through the hub to other partners. It is a fixed-schedule service but has zone-based pricing, in which one pays more to be more free. Spirit is a low-cost carrier that mainly offers direct flights from one point to another; its base fares are ‘bare-fare’ meaning that the basic ticket price only covers the seat, and a variety of charges apply for everything else This pricing strategy enables Spirit to offer incredibly cheap base fares to its target client base, price-sensitive leisure travelers.
Onboard Experience
Concerning their business strategies, the in-flight services of the two airlines can be hugely distinct. The cabin features that American Airlines targets include complimentary nonalcoholic beverages and snacks, entertainment on some long-haul flights, self-service check-in kiosks at some airports, and comfortable leather seats with more reclining space and legroom on some planes. Spirit is more like a low-cost flight service provider where the seats are very uncomfortable; they do not incline in a fully occupied plane. There is also no free checked baggage allowance or food and beverage service. Here, it should be noted that food and beverages are paid separately, as is the choice of seats in the cabin.
Route Networks
America boasts of having a strong international network covering almost all the major cities of the world, totaling about 350 destinations in over 50 countries, including all the major airports in the United States, while Spirit on the other hand, mainly operates on some of the busier North American domestic routes and a few short international hops in the Caribbean and parts of Central and South America. Therefore, if it were considering the domestic routes within the United States, such as the Chicago-Miami or Dallas-Las Vegas routes, both airlines are viable options. However, only ‘American’ would be viable for long-haul international routes similar to, for instance, San Francisco-Hong Kong or New York-London.
Loyalty Programs
American Airlines has a loyalty program that is known as AAdvantage, which enables the accrual of miles and the redemption thereof with other international partners through its alliance known as OneWorld. It provides its members with more than free tickets and has several member rewards, including seat upgrades, VIP airport lounge access, and many other benefits. The Free Spirit program is not as elaborate; it offers you savings on bags, seat reservations, etc. depending on your travel frequency with Spirit Airlines in a calendar year. Thus, American’s program is better matched to the needs of business travelers, who fly frequently and accumulate many miles, while Spirit is designed to appeal to vacationers who spend little per trip.
Brand Reputation
Regarding the brand reputation of the two companies among travelers, it is noteworthy that American Airlines has a better score when considering legacy carrier reliability and service, while Spirit Airlines receives a significantly lower rating when it comes to customer satisfaction ratings and consumer complaints. American has better Economy Plus economy seating and new Premium Economy seating, as well as modern fleet upgrades in its service. Still, first-time Spirit travelers have been complaining about ‘hidden’ charges they have to pay for. Nevertheless, despite its effectively dismal service quality, it continues to attract some LCC business, particularly leisure travelers, mainly due to its low price point.
In sum, we suggest American Airlines for convenience, flexibility, and on-board amenities and services for worldwide flights at the expense of a more expensive ticket. And, for your basic, bare-bones, no-frills budget airline, Spirit is still viable if you’re fine with its reputation and if all you want is rock-bottom prices for a quick domestic getaway. Understand the specific airline that offers the most suitable services that meet your budget, your needs, and your concerns as a traveler.
Book your American Airlines ticket now and experience comfort and reliability. Call +1 833-902-2090 to speak with our travel experts.