Spirit Airlines Reports December 2012 Traffic

Miramar, Florida (January 14, 2013) – Spirit Airlines (NASDAQ: SAVE) today reported its preliminary traffic results for December 2012 and year-to-date 2012.

Traffic (revenue passenger miles) in December 2012 increased 30.6 percent versus December 2011 on a capacity (available seat miles) increase of 27.6 percent. Load factor for December 2012 was 84.7 percent, an increase of 1.9 points as compared to December 2011. Spirit’s preliminary completion factor for December 2012 was 98.3 percent.

The following table summarizes Spirit’s traffic results for the month and year-to-date ended December 31, 2012 and 2011.

Fourth Quarter 2012 Guidance
The Company estimates its total revenue per ASM (RASM) for the fourth quarter 2012 decreased 7 to 8 percent year-over-year.

Hurricane Sandy reduced fourth quarter revenue by approximately $25 million and reduced total RASM year-over-year by approximately 6.5 percentage points. The revenue impact from Hurricane Sandy was less than previously estimated primarily due to a stronger-than-anticipated recovery in demand for the month of December.

The Company’s fourth quarter 2012 cost per available seat mile (CASM), excluding special items and unrealized mark-to-market hedge gains, is estimated to be between 10.00 cents and 10.05 cents. Spirit estimates its CASM ex-fuel for the quarter was between 5.90 cents and 5.95 cents, which is in line with the Company’s previous guidance.

The following table summarizes Spirit’s updated guidance for the fourth quarter 2012. All data is based on preliminary estimates and is subject to change. Spirit plans to announce fourth quarter 2012 results on February 26, 2013.