Call it the battle of CEOs.
Just one day after United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby all but declared Spirit Airlines and the budget-friendly model dead, Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle fired back by defending the business model while also questioning Kirby’s “I’m good at math” snark.
What United’s CEO said
Earlier this week, Kirby figuratively pounded his chest and took an early victory lap in an interview with CNBC, claiming United is on solid business ground despite an economic downturn, even as the airline industry faces cutbacks across the board. He touted United’s on-board amenities as the reason why travelers are “choosing” United.
And when it came to Spirit Airlines, Kirby declared its fate has been decided, and that it will go out of business. His reasoning?
“Because I’m good at math,” he answered.
Kirby had also said that if Biffle wants Frontier to be the largest of the U.S. discount carriers amid Spirit’s financial struggles, then Biffle will be “the last man standing on a sinking ship.”
Frontier’s CEO fires back
Biffle spoke at the Skift Global Forum on Wednesday and, according to CNBC, Biffle responded to Kirby’s comments with his own snark.
“That’s cute,” Biffle said in response to Kirby’s “good at math” comment. “If he’s good at math, he would understand that we have a [flight] oversupply issue in the United States.”
That being said …
Spirit Airlines’ financial woes appear to be persistent. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Spirit is set to cut jobs and plans to reduce capacity by 25 percent year-on-year in November.
The memo, sent by Spirit’s CEO Dave Davis to employees and obtained by Reuters, stated that the objective is to “optimize our network to focus on our strongest markets.”
Related: United Airlines CEO Sends Strong Message to Competitors Amid Expansion
As Spirit cuts back, others are jumping on the new opportunities.
Earlier this month, United announced it’s taking advantage of rival airline’s financial struggles by expanding its winter schedule.
United, in particular, is adding new flights to 15 cities, including Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Las Vegas, and Miami, as well as extra flights between three main hubs: Houston, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
