Contour currently serves 22 cities under the U.S. Department
of Transportation's Essential Air Service (EAS) program. The EAS program was
put into place to guarantee that communities maintain a minimum level of
scheduled air service.
Meanwhile, the White House has proposed a plan to slash
subsidies for the EAS program. EAS could see a $308 million cut if the proposal
is approved.
Partnership Details
Under the partnership with Spirit Airlines, Contour will
continue to perform EAS contracts from the U.S. Department of Transportation,
providing service to the major connecting hubs of its interline partners,
American, United, and Alaska Airlines.
Spirit will introduce service to major leisure destinations
from several of Contour's EAS markets. Spirit and Contour's partnership will
significantly expand the utilization and reach of the airports served. Contour
will provide ground handling support to Spirit at its EAS locations and will
leverage its deep community relationships to cross-market Spirit flights.
By working with Contour, Spirit will offer travelers the
opportunity to enjoy affordable and convenient ways to visit exciting leisure
destinations at an unmatched value. Spirit's low fares and nonstop flights will
eliminate the need for long drives to larger airports. The partnership also
highlights Contour's commitment as a community stakeholder by increasing the
scope and affordability of air travel in its EAS markets.
"EAS communities no longer need to choose between
national connectivity and low fares. The combination of service from our two
airlines is the best formula to grow passenger traffic in these underserved
airports," said Ben Munson, president of Contour.
"Our new partnership with Contour gives us an exciting
opportunity to grow our network and explore low-cost entry into new markets
that currently have limited service," said John Kirby, vice president
of Network Planning at Spirit Airlines. "We look forward to welcoming new guests
onboard and providing convenient connectivity in historically underserved
regions through Spirit's affordable, high-value service."
The initial markets to be served under the partnership will
be announced this summer.
Critical Transformation for Spirit
Just last month, Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc., parent
company of Spirit Airlines, LLC, announced that its Board of Directors
appointed Dave Davis as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a board member of
Spirit Airlines.
The airline, which recently emerged from bankruptcy, announced a long list of management changes with the new CEO appointment.
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