Spirit Airlines announces extra legroom seats will be available starting this summer
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Spirit Airlines comes out of bankruptcy protection
Spirit Airlines announced plans to rebrand as a premium airline after emerging from bankruptcy protection.
Cheddar
Spirit Airlines is introducing extra legroom seats with 32-inch pitch, available for purchase this month and rolling out on most flights by July 2025.
The updated Go Comfy fare will include extra legroom instead of a blocked middle seat, along with other perks like carry-on bag, priority boarding, and snacks.
Spirit's loyalty program is also getting revamped, with perks like complimentary upgrades to Go Comfy and Big Front Seats for elite members, based on availability.
Spirit Airlines unveiled plans for new extra legroom seats, which it expects to have available across most of its fleet by the middle of this summer.
"Spirit's new premium options offer travelers exceptional value, and we're creating even more opportunities for guests to experience them with our new extra-legroom seating option," Rana Ghosh, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Spirit Airlines, said in a statement. "We're also adding more value and perks for our loyalty members at a time when others are taking away benefits, giving our most loyal guests even more reasons to choose Spirit."
The new seats are on sale this month and will begin flying on some routes in June. Here's what travelers need to know.
Spirit Airlines' extra legroom seats
Spirit updated the way its Go Comfy fare bundle worked. Previously, that premium fare guaranteed a blocked middle seat in standard legroom rows, but now Go Comfy will come with extra legroom instead. Spirit Airlines typically has seats at 28-inch pitch, but Go Comfy rows will be arranged with 32-inch pitch instead.
"The new preferred seating will include seven rows near the front of the aircraft and more than 40 seats. The extra-legroom seating will be installed beginning June 2025 and roll out across the majority of the fleet by July 2025," the airline said in a statement.
As the extra legroom rows are introduced, Spirit will stop blocking middle seats for Go Comfy ticketholders. Go Comfy fares will still include a carry-on bag, no change or cancellation fees, priority boarding, reserved overhead bin space, a snack, and a non-alcoholic beverage.
The first flights with extra legroom rows will begin on July 9.
Spirit Airlines loyalty program updates
Spirit also announced updates to its loyalty program on Tuesday, including complimentary upgrades to Go Comfy and Big Front seats for elite status holders, based on availability.
The airline also expanded options for redeeming its loyalty points and announced a free checked bag perk with its co-branded MasterCard.
Full details of the loyalty program and seating updates are available on the airline's website.
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
UK wine duty: Are hotter countries really being taxed more on their wine?
In February 2025, the UK government updated their alcohol duty rates and ended a temporary concession on wine that had been in place since 1 August 2023. The reprieve had been an 18-month-long move to help wine producers adjust to a new way of calculating alcohol duties. Namely, tariffs are now calculated by alcohol strength (ABV), rather than volume. This could be seen as a gentle push for consumers to more closely consider the strength of what they're drinking, and it aligns with a wider, societal trend towards moderating consumption. 'This approach is supported by public health experts including clinical advisors to the Department of Health and Social Care,' HM Treasury told Euronews. In 2024, the UK wine market, including fortified wine, was worth around £12.3 billion (€14.3bn), according to data from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA). Although the UK does produce some wine domestically, it only accounts for around 1% of consumption by volume — roughly 12-15 million bottles per year. As such, the country relies heavily on imports to feed wine habits. Just over five months after the end of the government's grace period, how is the new duty system affecting the alcohol industry in Europe? And what knock-on effect has it had on consumer pricing? Are the UK's new rules affecting European wine producers? The end of the reprieve in the UK has meant that wine with an alcohol strength of 11.5-14.5% ABV will no longer be charged one flat duty rate as if it were 12.5% ABV. Whilst this means that the duty on 11.5-12.4% wine is cheaper, the duty on wines at 12.5-14.5% has increased. Taking into account the Retail Price Index (RPI) uprating, a bottle of 13% wine now pays £2.88 (€3.34) in tax, 21p more than before 1 February. 13.5% wine pays £2.99 (€3.46), 32p more. The biggest rise is for 14.5% wine which now pays £3.21 (€3.72), 54p more than before the end of the grace period. While this might not seem like a huge rise, it follows the key taxation change in August 2023, which saw 11.5-14.5% ABV wine pay 44p more tax, rising from £2.23 (€2.58) per bottle of still wine to £2.67 (€3.09). Added to this, upcoming EPR charges — based on packaging weight — will add extra expense that cannot always be passed on to consumers. Related The Big Question: Will CBD drinks be the new way to relax and socialise? Some suggest this change in duty is disproportionately affecting some producers, as their climates are more suited to certain wine styles. 'The hotter the climate, the higher the strength of the wine,' explained Stannard. Sunny climates produce grapes with more sugar, sugar ferments into alcohol and therefore the more sugar, the stronger the ABV. For example, medium to low alcohol white wines in the 10-11.5% ABV category, such as Muscadet, Soave and Pinot Grigio often come from cooler regions like France, Northern Italy and Germany. Wines with an ABV of 13.5-15% are those most affected by the end of the wine reprieve and typically come from warmer climates like Spain and southern Italy, as well as further afield, like Argentina, USA and Australia. This category includes wines such as Grenache (Garnacha), Shiraz (Syrah) and US Chardonnay. Some Californian reds have even become famous for being over 15% ABV. The wineries themselves are not responsible for paying the alcohol duty; that falls to the importers. While it's too soon to have concrete data on producer sales, the long term effect is predicted to manifest in numerous ways. Freddie Long, export manager at Spain's Long Wines, told Euronews that he expects a decrease in sales for high-alcohol Spanish red wines this year. On the other hand, Jessica Marzo, Director at Italica, a specialist importer of Italian wines said: 'We expect the demand for Italian wines will remain the same as previous years. The demand in general has remained steady however we are expecting more sales of lower ABV wines in comparison to the higher.' One UK-based wine seller told Euronews: 'European wines continue to be successful. Value [can be] found in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian wines, but South Africa still stands as better value.' This continued value in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian wines is perhaps best explained by lower labour costs and therefore lower priced bottles to start with. Italy has no official minimum wage and the legal salary thresholds in both Spain and Portugal are significantly lower than France's monthly €1,767, at €1,323 and €957 respectively. In South Africa, the minimum wage was set in March 2025 at R28.79 per hour (€1.39), which scaling up to a 40 hour week, totals around €240/ month. Related Cost of living: Which are the cheapest and most expensive countries in Europe? Europe's iPhone price gap: Where you'll pay the most and least How are the UK's new duty rates affecting customers? Many importers stockpiled ahead of the 1 February change so much of the wine sold in the UK over the past few months will not have paid the increased duty rates. However, the impact on consumer habits may be visible in the year ahead. 'Within the Treasury, their modelling is a straight assumption that if you increase taxes by 3-4% there will be no impact on consumer behaviour so you can assume your revenue will go up by 3-4% too. There is plenty of evidence that that isn't true,' Stannard told Euronews. It's at a retailer's discretion if they choose to absorb extra costs. If 100% of charges have been passed down to the customer, here's how they might be affecting your glass. A 250ml glass of 11% still wine would be 3p more expensive. A 250ml glass of 11.5% still wine would be 5p cheaper. A 250ml glass of 13% still wine will be 8p more expensive. Hardly a bank-breaking increase, but if everyone in the supply chain adds a bit extra for profit, it may lead to much bigger price hikes. Related Which European economy stands to suffer the most from US tariffs? Future of the wine industry The US is the biggest importer of wine in the world by value. Germany is the largest by volume, closely followed by the UK which comes second in both measurements. Australia, France and Italy are the UK's favourite wine producers, with Spain coming in fourth, by volume and by value. In 2024, the UK imported 1.6 billion litres of wine. Much of that is imported in bulk, from new world producers like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, bottled in the UK and redistributed. Around 20% of the bulk wine is re-exported in bottles to northern Europe. For producers, the major concern is that globally there is an oversupply of wine, WSTA's Simon Stannard told Euronews. Consumption rates are declining and although production rates have dropped a little over the past few years, the supply is still outweighing the demand. Reflecting on various trends impacting wine purchasing, Stannard added: 'Looking at the last 12 months, I think we'll see volume declines but whether those are any more significant than what is a relatively long-term trend [remains to be seen]. Value wise, overall value will be relatively static.' Though not solely caused by changes in taxation, many large producers of all wines, across the world, are looking at how they can produce lower ABV products. This will take time and there are limitations on how much strength can be reduced. This nonetheless aligns with overall market trends as people seek to lower their alcohol consumption. To support the demand for lower alcohol products, the industry is hoping for new reforms in the UK to match EU regulation on what can be labelled as wine. Currently products under a certain ABV must be labelled as a 'wine-based drink', according to UK regulation. This makes it less appealing for European producers as it requires them to produce bespoke packaging for the UK market. Sign in to access your portfolio
Epoch Times
2 days ago
- Epoch Times
LIVE NOW: House Ways and Means Committee Holds Hearing on Economic Bill
The House Ways and Means Committee holds a hearing titled 'The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Delivering for the American Economy' at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, at 12 p.m. ET on July 26.
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business Insider
Will Q2 Earnings Drive SOFI Stock Higher? Here's What Wall Street Thinks
Fintech company and digital bank SoFi Technologies (SOFI) is scheduled to announce its results for the second quarter on July 29. SOFI stock has rallied 40% year-to-date, as the company continues to impress investors with its solid financials, supported by an expanding member base. While several analysts acknowledge SoFi's strong fundamentals, they are cautious about the stock, as they believe the positives are already priced in. Wall Street's average price target indicates downside risk from current levels. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Expectations from SOFI's Q2 Earnings SoFi Technologies reported a 20% growth in its Q1 revenue and the sixth consecutive quarter of GAAP profitability. The company ended the quarter with 10.9 million members, marking an impressive 34% growth. Investors will be keen to see if that momentum continued in the second quarter. They would also pay attention to the strength in SoFi's Financial Services segment, its fastest-growing division, which includes offerings like SoFi Money, Loan Platform Business (LPB), and SoFi Invest. The company is growing beyond its traditional lending business by aggressively shifting to fee-based revenue. Analysts expect SOFI's Q2 revenue to increase by more than 34% to about $804.2 million, while earnings per share (EPS) is estimated to jump to $0.06 from $0.01 in the prior-year quarter. Analysts' Views Ahead of SoFi's Q2 Earnings Heading into Q2 results, Goldman Sachs analyst Will Nance initiated coverage of SoFi Technologies stock with a Hold rating and a price target of $19. The analyst noted the company's impressive growth story in the neobank space, its focus on diversification, and the strength of the company's LPB offering. That said, Nance contends that at 5.0x tangible book value, SOFI stock seems 'somewhat disconnected' from the return profile of the business. The analyst is also concerned about SoFi's unique fair value accounting for its lending business, which pulls forward earnings. Recently, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst Timothy Switzer increased the price target for SoFi Technologies stock to $13 from $9, but reaffirmed a Sell rating. The analyst noted strong catalysts that drove SOFI stock higher in recent months, mainly the pending revenue opportunities from the recently announced re-entry into crypto trading and significantly expanded student lending opportunity following the passage of U.S. President Donald Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill.' Despite SoFi's exciting growth prospects and strong value proposition, Switzer remains bearish on SOFI stock, as he believes that it has moved beyond its fundamental value. Is SOFI Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold? Overall, Wall Street is cautious on SoFi Technologies stock, with a Hold consensus rating based on five Buys, eight Holds, and three Sell recommendations. The average SOFI stock price target of $17.08 indicates a downside risk of about 21% from current levels.
