Airlines expressed no interest in acquiring Spirit Airlines' aircraft at Bank of America's Industrials, Transportation & Airlines Key Leaders Conference, according to a note from BofA analyst Andrew Didora.
Bank of America hosted United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Allegiant Travel, JetBlue Airways, Frontier Group, Republic Airways, and SkyWest. Airlines cited cabin configuration issues, with seat modifications taking 6-9 months and full cabin refreshes requiring longer.
Airlines would consider Spirit's slots and gates where applicable, but decisions rest with local authorities. Spirit's New York slots would be reallocated, with leisure carriers historically benefiting.
All participants reported strong demand and pricing with no signs of elasticity. Delta noted robust cash sales across all cabins. Bank of America card spend data for airlines has reaccelerated to mid-teens growth.
Schedules show flat domestic capacity growth from May to August, with growth ramping in September. Airlines indicated 2H26 growth will be fuel dependent.
