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Low-cost carriers Allegiant Air, Avelo Airlines, Frontier, Spirit, and Sun Country have banded together to form the Association of Value Airlines (AVA). This is not an airline alliance like SkyTeam or oneworld®, but more a combined lobbying group that looks to represent “the leading value-focused airlines in the United States aviation industry…to ensure affordable air travel remains accessible to all Americans.”
This Washington DC-based trade association looks to combine forces to drive change around:
- Regulatory reform
- Fair competition
- Workforce and training procedures
- Consumer protections
- Environmental stewardship
Spirit is the largest of the carriers, but all combined they are not even half the size of United Airlines (when measured by the number of passengers carried). They do not have the political sway of American, Delta, Southwest, or United based on size and together they hope to be able to impact policy especially as the low-cost segment has been particularly hard hit by consumers’ desire for premium experiences and all carriers having some form of Basic Economy at the other end of the spectrum.
The AVA describes itself as:
The Association of Value Airlines (AVA) represents and advocates for low-fare airlines, ensuring that affordable air travel remains accessible to millions of passengers. Low-fare carriers play a crucial role in expanding travel opportunities, increasing competition, and delivering the best value in air transportation.
Passengers rely on value airlines for cost-effective travel options without compromising on safety or service. These airlines drive economic growth, support job creation, and connect communities to domestic and international networks at fares that make air travel possible for more people.”
Some of the stats that this collective group is touting are interesting. These include:
- 96 million+ annual passengers
- 247 cities served
- 590 aircraft
- 48 states with direct service
- 30,000 jobs supported
- 14.5% domestic marketshare
- $196 billion in annual economic contributions
- $55.48 average fare
- 2,527 peak departures
- 39 unique airports served
The AVA member airlines have hired a former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official, Chris Brown, to lobby on their behalf. These airlines are looking for a similar voice to the trade association, Airlines for America, which has long lobbied for the legacy carrier’s interests. low-cost airlines have different needs and they hope this partnership will give them a stronger voice.
Anthony’s Take: Let’s see if these airlines will have a collective voice strong enough to enact any change in Washington DC. Airlines for America is powerful and won’t allow anything to happen that will negatively impact its members without a fight (it has decades of experience and connections at its disposal).
(Image Credits: Association of Value Airlines.)
(H/T: Upgraded Points.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
