LONDON – Which airline has had the most crashes in the United States of America? Let’s take a dive into this, based on the history of such carriers since they started operations. Show
Based on data from Executive Flyers, they have outlined airlines that have the most accidents and crashes within the country. Bare in mind that this is based on accidents that have occurred in the USA only and are not representative of the other hull losses and fatalities that have occurred overseas. American Airlines… American Airlines is at the top of the list, with 11 accidents, which caused 858 fatalities. Two of these accidents came directly from the 9/11 attacks in September 2001. Because of the 11 accidents, this makes them joint top with Air France for the airline with the most crashes in the world with 11 accidents apiece. United Airlines…United Airlines comes in next with seven accidents that have killed a total of 288 people. Like with American Airlines, two of their aircraft were involved in the 9/11 attacks in September 2001. This puts the airline at #6 for airlines in the world that have had the most air crashes. Delta Air Lines…Delta Air Lines has had two accidents, but with a higher rate of fatalities per accident, which has been recorded at 134. But with two accidents, this is far less than the likes of United Airlines and American Airlines. Southwest Airlines…Southwest Airlines currently has the second-best safety record, recording three accidents but only one fatality recorded from such instances. The carrier comes second to Horizon Air, who have had one fatality from just one accident, which came from the Dash 8 that was stolen in Seattle. Alaska Airlines…Alaska Airlines comes in third with one accident recorded but 88 fatalities in that particular crash. The crash in question comes from Alaska Airlines Flight 261 back in January 2000 when the jackscrew onboard it’s McDonnell Douglas MD-83 failed due to improper maintenance, causing loss of control onboard. Should I Be Worried About These Statistics?Not at all. Air travel has come a very long way in terms of the safety aspect, with Arnold Barnett, the Professor of Statistics at MIT, giving this interesting statistic: “If you take one flight a day, you would, on average, need to fly every day for 55,000 years before being involved in a fatal crash”. This, of course, is how far aviation safety has come about, with there being a handful of commercial air crashes every year, and it is a far better statistic compared to 20-30 years ago. Overall…It is key to note that air travel has come a long way, but American Airlines have had a lot of US-originated accidents, with there being over 60 hull losses if you add in crashes outside of the U.S. Southwest & Horizon steal this particular show, having the least amount of accidents and least amount of fatalities. Either way, it’s an interesting metric to look at and will no doubt cause some interesting conversation later down the line when these statistics become outdated. Spirit Airlines Inc. (stylized as spirit) is a major U.S. carrier headquartered in Miramar, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. Spirit operates scheduled flights throughout the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America. Spirit was the eighth largest passenger carrier in North America as of 2020, as well as the largest ultra-low-cost carrier in North America. As of July 2022, JetBlue has made an offer to acquire Spirit for US$3.8 billion. On October 19, 2022, the deal was approved by a majority of the airline's voting shareholders, but the offer awaits approval by government regulators. History[edit]Establishment 1964–2007[edit]The company initially started as Clippert Trucking Company in 1964. The company changed its name to Ground Air Transfer, Inc., in 1974. The airline service was founded in 1983 in Macomb County, Michigan, by Ned Homfeld as Charter One Airlines, a Detroit-based charter tour operator providing travel packages to entertainment destinations such as Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and the Bahamas. In 1990, Charter One began scheduled service from Boston and Providence, Rhode Island, to Atlantic City. On May 29, 1992, Charter One brought jet aircraft into the fleet and changed its name to Spirit Airlines. Scheduled flights between Detroit and Atlantic City began on June 1, 1992. Scheduled flights between Boston and Providence began on June 15, 1992. On April 2, 1993, Spirit Airlines began scheduled service to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and St. Petersburg, Florida. Flights between Atlantic City and Fort Myers, Florida, began on September 25, 1993. Service at Philadelphia began in 1994. During the next five years, Spirit expanded further, increasing service from Detroit and adding service in new markets such as Myrtle Beach, Los Angeles, and New York City. In the summer of 1994, Spirit Airlines overbooked flights, and 1,400 customers' tickets were canceled. The overbooking occurred because Spirit Airlines had given incorrect instructions to travel agents, causing those tickets not to be valid, even though the customers had paid for the flights. In response to criticism, Spirit Airlines said it would make sure all paid customers would always be able to fly to their destination, even if Spirit Airlines had to book them on a competitor's airline. In 1996, Janet Patton became Spirit Airlines' first woman pilot, and in 1998 she became the first woman captain. At the time Spirit was utilizing DC-9 and MD-80 aircraft. Spirit initially had their headquarters in Eastpointe, Michigan (formerly East Detroit) in Metro Detroit. It relocated its headquarters in November 1999, moving to Miramar, Florida, in the Miami Metropolitan Area. Prior to the decision to move the headquarters to Miramar, Spirit considered Atlantic City, New Jersey and Detroit, Michigan. In 2000, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) fined Spirit Airlines $67,000 for violating federal regulations on cabin and seat markings and placards. Discrepancies were found in the marking and placarding of emergency equipment, passenger seats, storage areas and doors on eight of Spirit's DC9 and MD80 aircraft. In November 2001, Spirit inaugurated service to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and implemented a fully integrated Spanish-language customer service plan including a website and dedicated reservation line. In the fall of 2003, Spirit resumed flights to Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which were suspended after the September 11 attacks. Spirit also began service to Grand Cayman, San Francisco, and Boston in 2006, and in 2007 filed DOT applications to offer service to Costa Rica, Haiti, the Netherlands Antilles and Venezuela.[citation needed] In January 2005, Ben Baldanza was hired as President of Spirit with the goal of making the company profitable. In 2006, following an investment by Indigo Partners, Baldanza was elevated to the CEO role and held the position for 10 years. This included a complete transformation of the business model and a public offering in 2011. In 2006, Spirit exercised options to order 30 Airbus A320-200 aircraft for further expansion. Deliveries began in March 2010. On June 3, 2008, Spirit Airlines made a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice) application to potentially relocate or lay off hundreds of pilots and flight attendants, and the closure of their San Juan and LaGuardia crew bases. In September 2008, Spirit began placing advertisements on the side of aircraft, overhead bins, tray tables, seatback inserts and bulkheads. In 2007, Spirit Plus was rebranded as "Big Front Seat" and business class service was discontinued. For an additional fee, a person could choose "Big Front Seat", or upgrade at the airport. In December 2010, Spirit Airlines introduced the Free Spirit World MasterCard. In April 2010, Spirit Airlines became the first U.S. airline to charge passengers for carry-on bags. They were later followed by Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines. In April 2012, citing the airline's strict refund policy, Spirit Airlines representative Misty Pinson announced that the airline would not issue a refund to dying veteran Jerry Meekins, who had purchased a non-refundable ticket between Florida and Atlantic City. The 76-year-old Vietnam veteran and Marine tried to get his $197 back after learning his esophageal cancer was terminal and being told by his doctor not to fly. The decision caused outrage among veterans' groups and the general public, some of whom threatened to boycott Spirit unless both a refund and apology were issued. On May 4, Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza apologized for how the situation was handled and personally refunded Meekins' ticket. Additionally, the airline made a $5,000 donation to the Wounded Warrior Project in Meekins' name. In August 2013, Spirit reached an agreement on a new five-year deal with the Transport Workers Union of America, who represent the airline's flight dispatchers. In November 2014, Morgan Stanley named Spirit the top growth airline pick for investors. In January 2016, former AirTran CEO Robert L. Fornaro replaced Baldanza as CEO. This prompted rumors of a merger with Frontier Airlines, which would have created the largest ultra-low-cost carrier in the Americas. Fornaro announced the airline would be teaming up with the Disney Institute to “create a common purpose and a fresh set of service standards”, and changing policies internally to create a more welcoming environment. In November 2017, Spirit's on-time performance was second in the country, behind only Delta Air Lines, a significant improvement from December 2015, when it ranked last among thirteen airlines with 68.7% of flights arriving on time. In February 2018, Spirit was the only airline in North America to make the list of the top 10 safest in the world. In May 2018, Spirit announced that they would be the first ultra-low-cost carrier to fit their aircraft with high-speed WiFi access that started in fall 2018. All of their aircraft were expected to be equipped with WiFi by summer 2019. On December 23, 2019, Spirit Airlines announced its intention to purchase 100 new Airbus A320neo family aircraft. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Spirit Airlines received $334 million in aid in the form of grants and loans via the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES); the money was used to fund employees until September 30. In July of that same year, the company announced that it would put 20–30% of its employees on leave of absence in October. In August, some pilots and flight attendants agreed to take a voluntary leave of absence or have their work schedule temporarily reduced to avoid layoffs. In July 2020, a passenger died of COVID-19 on a Spirit Airlines flight. Spirit Airlines claimed it notified the Centers for Disease Control but there was no record of the contact. Passengers on the flight were not informed that they were around an infected individual. On February 7, 2022, Spirit announced its intention to be acquired by Frontier Airlines pending regulatory approval, with Frontier Airlines stock being the surviving entity. The deal would make the combined airline the fifth largest airline in the U.S. On July 27, 2022, Sprit announced that its shareholders would reject Frontier's offer. On April 5, 2022, JetBlue announced its proposal to acquire Spirit for $33 per share in cash, equivalent to $3.6 billion. On May 2, Spirit said its board of directors has decided not to consider JetBlue's proposal. According to Spirit Airlines, JetBlue's proposed acquisition would be unlikely to be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division because it would likely believe that an ultra-low-cost carrier being purchased by a higher-fare airline would increase fares for consumers. Spirit noted that the Antitrust Division is looking into JetBlue's strategic partnership with American Airlines for the same reason. On July 28, JetBlue announced it had reached an agreement to purchase Spirit for $33.50 per share, with additional inducements for Spirit shareholders. If the deal goes through, the unified company will become the fifth-largest airline based in the United States. Corporate affairs[edit]Ownership[edit]Spirit Airlines, Inc. is a Delaware corporation that is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: SAVE). Business trends[edit]The key trends for Spirit Airlines are (years ending December 31): 201420152016201720182019Turnover ($m)1,9322,1412,3202,6443,3233,831Net profit after tax ($m)225317263416156335Number of employees (average FTE)3,7224,3265,1596,1007,1108,077Number of passengers ('flight segments')(m)14.317.921.624.229.334.5Passenger load factor (%)86.784.784.783.183.984.4Number of aircraft (at year end)657995112128145Notes/sourcesHeadquarters[edit]Spirit has its headquarters at 2800 Executive Way, Miramar, Florida, having moved there from its previous Eastpointe location in 1999. As of 2016 there were 600 located in the office. Chris Sloan of Airways Magazine stated that the building was "nondescript low slung". Sloan added that the interior, prior to a 2014 renovation, was, "To put it charitably, [...] a dump", but that employees felt ownership over the office. In 2019 the airline announced that it would move to a new headquarters of up to 500,000-square-foot (46,000 m2) in the Dania Pointe development in Dania Beach, Florida, spending $250 million. The airline anticipates that it will house 1,000 employees. Business model[edit]Under CEO Ben Baldanza, Spirit began a transition to an ultra-low-cost carrier, following a fare model involving charging for amenities that are often included in the base ticket price of traditional carriers. Passengers who wanted to customize their itinerary or seat selection paid an add-on fee for each additional feature, which enabled the carrier to earn ancillary revenue in excess of 40% of total revenue. These included having an agent print a boarding pass at check-in versus doing it online or at a kiosk, for any large carry-on or checked bags, progressive fees for overweight bags, selected seat assignments, travel insurance, and more. Controversy[edit]Spirit Airlines has been the subject of complaints, and to punitive actions by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). Most of the claims against the company were for allegations of deceptive advertising practices, customer service, and the airline's policies for charging additional fees at the time of purchase:
Destinations[edit]Spirit currently flies to 83 destinations throughout Central America, the Caribbean, South America, and the United States. As of July 2022, It maintains crew bases at Atlanta, Atlantic City, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Houston–Intercontinental, Las Vegas, Miami, and Orlando. A Spirit Airlines Airbus A321-200 in the current "Bare Fare" livery, introduced in 2014 A Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-100 in the earlier blue paint scheme, used from 2007 until 2014 A Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-100 painted in the grayscale livery used from 2002 until 2007 Current fleet[edit]As of December 2022, Spirit Airlines operates an all-A320 and all-A320neo family fleet. February 2020 fleet plan outlines 293 aircraft planned by 2027. An order of 100 additional aircraft with 50 options was announced in October 2019. Historical fleet[edit]The following aircraft formerly operated in the Spirit Airlines fleet:[citation needed] Services[edit]Frequent-flyer program[edit]Spirit Airlines Frequent-flyer program is called Free Spirit, entitled as such due to the state of persons who travel using Spirit Airlines. Spirit has a three-tier frequent flyer status program. The tiers are Free Spirit Member, Silver (Earn 2,000 status qualifying points in a calendar year), and Gold (Earn 5,000 status qualifying points in a calendar year). How many planes from Spirit have crashed?In the USA, JetBlue and Spirit Airlines, have never been involved in a plane crash.
Has spirit ever had an accident?On 23 February 2008, Spirit of Kansas, a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber of the United States Air Force, crashed on the runway moments after takeoff from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. The aircraft was destroyed, but both crew members successfully ejected.
What airline had the most accidents?American Airlines…
American Airlines is at the top of the list, with 11 accidents, which caused 858 fatalities. Two of these accidents came directly from the 9/11 attacks in September 2001.
When was the last plane crash on Spirit?On July 10, 2022, Spirit Airlines Flight 383, an Airbus A320-232, suffered fire and smoke on its left main landing gear wheels during the landing sequence to Runway 28 at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia.
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How many crashes has Spirit Airlines had
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