Spirit Airlines Reports Second Quarter 2022 Results

MIRAMAR, Fla., Aug. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit Airlines, Inc. ("Spirit" or the "Company") (NYSE: SAVE) today reported second quarter 2022 financial results.

Ended the second quarter 2022 with $1.5 billion of unrestricted cash, cash equivalents, short-term investment securities and liquidity available under the Company's revolving credit facility.

"Top line revenue growth in the second quarter 2022 exceeded our expectations, driving a better-than-expected adjusted pre-tax margin despite much higher than anticipated fuel prices. On the operations side, following a rough start to the quarter, we implemented key operational changes and quickly saw meaningful improvements in our operational reliability and recoverability.  We finished the quarter on a strong note with a 98.8 percent completion factor for June.  And, our completion factor for July was 99.7 percent, including 15 days of 100 percent completion factor," said Ted Christie, Spirit's President and Chief Executive Officer.  "The robust demand for leisure travel during the peak summer period resulted in busy airports and high load factors, and I want to thank our Team Members for staying focused on supporting each other and delivering a high value experience for our Guests."

"On July 28, 2022, we announced plans to unite with JetBlue Airways Corporation ("JetBlue") to create a compelling national low-fare challenger to the dominant U.S. carriers.  I am thrilled we were able to reach an agreement with JetBlue that delivers value for our stockholders, Team Members, and Guests."

The Company believes that providing analysis of financial and operational performance compared to second quarter 2019 is a more relevant measure of performance than comparing to second quarter 2021 due to the severe impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's financial results and operational performance for 2021.

Second Quarter 2022 Results
For the second quarter 2022, Spirit reported a net loss of $52.4 million, or a net loss of $0.48 per diluted share. Excluding special items, adjusted net loss for the second quarter 2022 was $32.2 million¹, or an adjusted net loss of $0.30 per diluted share¹.

For the second quarter 2022, Spirit reported a pre-tax loss of $67.5 million and a pre-tax margin of negative 4.9 percent. Adjusted pre-tax loss for the second quarter was $38.9 million and adjusted pre-tax margin was negative 2.8 percent.

Capacity and Load Factor
Capacity, or available seat miles ("ASMs"), in the second quarter 2022 increased 9.9 percent compared to the same period in 2019. Load factor for the second quarter 2022 was 86.0 percent, up 1.0 percentage point compared to the second quarter 2019.

Aircraft utilization in the second quarter 2022 was 10.7 hours, down 16.4 percent compared to the 12.8 hours in the same period of 2019. 

Revenue Performance  
Total operating revenues for the second quarter 2022 were $1.4 billion, an increase of 34.9 percent compared to the second quarter 2019 primarily due to increased flight volume and higher operating yields. Total revenue per ASM ("TRASM") was 11.54 cents, up 22.8 percent compared to second quarter 2019.

On a per passenger flight segment basis, compared to the same period in 2019, total revenue per passenger flight segment ("segment") for the second quarter 2022 increased 24.3 percent to $140.61. Compared to the second quarter 2019, fare revenue per segment increased 25.7 percent to $72.41 and non-ticket revenue per segment increased 22.8 percent to $68.20².

Cost Performance
Total GAAP operating expenses for the second quarter 2022 increased 66.3 percent compared to the second quarter 2019 to $1,412.0 million. Adjusted operating expenses for the second quarter 2022 increased 63.2 percent compared to the second quarter 2019 to $1,383.3 million³. Compared to the second quarter 2019, these increases were primarily driven by increases in flight volume, additional aircraft, higher fuel prices and inflationary wage pressures.

"Good cost management and benefits from improved reliability resulted in better-than-expected non-fuel costs for the second quarter, mitigating the majority of the impact from higher-than-expected fuel prices," said Scott Haralson, Spirit's Chief Financial Officer. "Looking ahead to the third quarter, we continue to face constraints that limit our ability to both optimize our network and operate our fleet at full utilization. One of the primary limiters is the continued constraint on U.S. continental flights to/from Florida. Therefore,  while demand trends continue to be strong as we head into the off-peak shoulder season, we are estimating pre-tax margins will be between negative one percent to positive one percent for the third quarter 2022." 

Fleet
Spirit took delivery of four new A320neo aircraft during the second quarter 2022. The Company ended the quarter with 180 aircraft in its fleet, an increase of 33.3 percent since the end of second quarter 2019.

Liquidity and Capital Deployment
Spirit ended second quarter 2022 with unrestricted cash, cash equivalents, short-term investment securities and liquidity available under the Company's revolving credit facility of $1.5 billion.

Total capital expenditures, including net pre-delivery purchase deposits, for the six months ended June 30, 2022, were $113.6 million, primarily related to the purchase of spare parts, including two spare engines, and expenditures related to the building of Spirit's new facilities in Dania Beach, Florida.

Tax Rate
On a GAAP basis, the Company's effective tax rate for the second quarter 2022 was 22.4 percent. The Company's non-GAAP tax rate for the second quarter 2022 was 17.2 percent.

Forward Looking Guidance
The third quarter and full year 2022 guidance items provided below are based on the Company's current estimates and are not a guarantee of future performance. There could be significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the risk factors discussed in the Company's reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Spirit undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements or estimates.

Adjusted operating expenses and adjusted pre-tax margin are non-GAAP financial measures, which are provided on a forward-looking basis. The Company does not provide a reconciliation of non-GAAP forward-looking measures on a forward-looking basis where the Company believes such reconciliation would imply a degree of precision and certainty that could be confusing to investors and is unable to reasonably predict certain items included in/excluded from the GAAP financial measures without unreasonable efforts. This is due to the inherent difficulty of forecasting the timing or amount of various items that have not yet occurred and are out of the Company's control or cannot be reasonably predicted. For the same reasons, the Company is unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information. Non-GAAP forward-looking measures provided without the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures may vary materially from the corresponding GAAP financial measures.

Second Quarter 2022 Highlights

• Expanded its network by initiating service to Memphis, Tennessee and Salt Lake City, Utah and announced service to Albuquerque, New Mexico, Reno, Nevada, and Boise, Idaho
• Added Los Angeles International Airport to its growing list of airports where its award-winning self-bag drop system is offered; Spirit's machines are also equipped with a biometric options, further streamlining the check-in process for Guests. Spirit's self-bag drop system was recently recognized for two prestigious awards: The "2021 Best Airport Innovation" by the APEX/IFSA Awards, and the Skift "2021 IDEA Awards Winner" in the Aviation Category
• Received the Fly Quiet Award from the Port of Seattle, which noted the airline's "remarkably low takeoff noise levels" at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
• Recognized by Los Angeles World Airports as a 2021 gold winner of the LAX Fly Quieter Program, which is the highest in its category
• Once again recognized by Forbes as one of America's best companies for diversity, equity and inclusion, representing one of 15 organizations in the Transportation and Logistics category recognized by Forbes on America's Best Employers for Diversity annual list
• Alongside the Company's efforts, the Spirit Airlines Charitable Foundation committed $1 million to 44 non-profit organizations in 2022 in support of the Foundation's commitment to support its three key pillars: children and families, service members, and the environment

Conference Call/Webcast Detail
Spirit will conduct a conference call to discuss these results tomorrow, August 10, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern US Time. A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available to the public on a listen-only basis at http://ir.spirit.com. An archive of the webcast will be available under "Events & Presentations" for 60 days.

Merger Agreement with JetBlue
As previously announced, Spirit Airlines, Inc. entered into a merger agreement with JetBlue Airways Corporation on July 28, 2022. The merger is expected to close no later than the first half of 2024, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including completion of the regulatory review process and approval by Spirit stockholders.

Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines (NYSE: SAVE) is committed to delivering the best value in the sky. We are the leader in providing customizable travel options starting with an unbundled fare. This allows our Guests to pay only for the options they choose — like bags, seat assignments and refreshments — something we call À La Smarte. We make it possible for our Guests to venture further and discover more than ever before. Our Fit Fleet® is one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient in the U.S. We serve destinations throughout the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean and are dedicated to giving back and improving those communities. Come save with us at spirit.com. 

Investors are encouraged to read the Company's periodic and current reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, for additional information regarding the Company.

End Notes
(1) See "Reconciliation of Adjusted Net Income (Loss), Adjusted Pre-Tax Income (Loss), and Adjusted Operating Income (Loss) to GAAP Net Income (Loss)" tables below for more details.
(2) See "Calculation of Total Non-Ticket Revenue per Passenger Flight Segment" table below for more details.
(3) See "Reconciliation of Adjusted Operating Expenses to GAAP Operating Expenses" table below for more details.

Forward Looking Statements
Forward-Looking Statements in this report and certain oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company contain various forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") which are subject to the "safe harbor" created by those sections. Forward-looking statements are based on our management's beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. All statements other than statements of historical facts are "forward-looking statements" for purposes of these provisions. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "could," "would," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "project," "predict," "potential," and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, guidance for 2022 and statements regarding the Company's intentions and expectations regarding revenues, cash burn, capacity and passenger demand, additional financing, capital spending, operating costs and expenses, taxes, EBITDA, EBITDA margin, hiring, aircraft deliveries and stakeholders, vendors and government support. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results and the timing of certain events to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors include, among others, the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's business, results of operations and financial condition, and the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on overall demand for air travel, restrictions on the Company's business by accepting financing under the CARES Act and other related legislation, the competitive environment in our industry, our ability to keep costs low and the impact of worldwide economic conditions, including the impact of economic cycles or downturns on customer travel behavior, the consummation of the merger with JetBlue and other factors, as described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the detailed factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, as supplemented in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2022. Furthermore, such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements. Risks or uncertainties (i) that are not currently known to us, (ii) that we currently deem to be immaterial, or (iii) that could apply to any company, could also materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, or future results. Additional information concerning certain factors is contained in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K.

The Company does not provide a reconciliation of forward-looking measures on a forward-looking basis where the Company believes such reconciliation would imply a degree of precision and certainty that could be confusing to investors and is unable to reasonably predict certain items included in/excluded from the non-GAAP financial measures without unreasonable efforts. This is due to the inherent difficulty of forecasting the timing or amount of various items that have not yet occurred and are out of the Company's control or cannot be reasonably predicted. For the same reasons, the Company is unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information. Non-GAAP forward-looking measures provided without the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures may vary materially from the corresponding GAAP financial measures.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company evaluates its financial performance utilizing various accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") and non-GAAP financial measures, including Adjusted operating expenses, Adjusted operating income (loss), Adjusted operating margin, Adjusted pre-tax income (loss), Adjusted pre-tax margin, Adjusted net income (loss), Adjusted diluted earnings (loss) per share and Adjusted CASM. These non-GAAP financial measures are provided as supplemental information to the financial information presented in this press release that is calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP and these non-GAAP financial measures are presented because management believes that they supplement or enhance management's, analysts' and investors' overall understanding of the Company's underlying financial performance and trends and facilitate comparisons among current, past and future periods.

Because the non-GAAP financial measures are not calculated in accordance with GAAP, they should not be considered superior to and are not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the related GAAP financial measures presented in the press release and may not be the same as or comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies due to possible differences in the method of calculation and in the items being adjusted. We encourage investors to review our financial statements and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure.

The information below provides an explanation of certain adjustments reflected in the non-GAAP financial measures and shows a reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures reported in this press release (other than forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures) to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. Within the financial tables presented, certain columns and rows may not add due to the use of rounded numbers. Per unit amounts presented are calculated from the underlying amounts.

The Company believes that adjusting for loss on disposal of assets, special charges (credits), federal excise tax recovery adjustments and accelerated asset retirements is useful to investors because these items are not indicative of the Company's ongoing performance and the adjustments are similar to those made by our peers and allow for enhanced comparability to other airlines. In prior periods, we excluded supplemental rent adjustments related to the modification of aircraft or engine leases from our non-GAAP measures. However, we no longer exclude supplemental rent adjustments and, as such, non-GAAP measures for 2021 have been revised to reflect this change and no longer exclude any previously reported supplemental rent adjustments.

Operating expenses per available seat mile ("CASM") is a common metric used in the airline industry to measure an airline's cost structure and efficiency. We exclude aircraft fuel and related taxes and special items from operating expenses to determine Adjusted CASM ex-fuel. We also believe that excluding fuel costs from certain measures is useful to investors because it provides an additional measure of management's performance excluding the effects of a significant cost item over which management has limited influence and increases comparability with other airlines that also provide a similar metric.

SOURCE Spirit Airlines, Inc.

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