Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

Spirit Airlines broadens its focus to both legacy entrenchments and classic niche markets

Spirit Airlines executives have concluded consolidation in the US has created a prime opportunity for its ultra low-cost business model to allow the carrier to invade legacy strongholds like Dallas Fort Worth and introduce limited flights that will allow Spirit to grow the market with lower fares instead of poaching passengers and creating a structural shift in the competitive landscape. At the same time, Spirit is also developing its more typical niche markets to round out a network focus dominated by domestic growth during the past couple of years.

Spirit has turned its attention away from growing Caribbean and Central America services from its Fort Lauderdale hub to capitalise on some of the 300 non-stop markets between Canada and the northern region of South America that have more than 200 passengers per day each way. These markets, like northern New York state airports close to Canadian cities, can support the 18% annual seat growth Spirit aims to achieve through 2015.

Aircraft availability and capability continues to determine Emirates expansion plans

One-third of the world's population, so the explanation justifying Gulf network carriers goes, lives within four hours of the big three Gulf hubs: the UAE's Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and Qatar's Doha. Two-thirds live within eight hours, but that last third live more than 12 hours away in a range difficult for fully-loaded aircraft to serve. But Emirates, as exemplified by its announcement last month to serve Dallas-Ft Worth and Seattle, is trying its best to enter the lucrative US market despite still needing to build a profile for itself.

The Dallas and Seattle routes will be some of the longest in Emirates' network, and will see the carrier serve two more of the top 15 metropolitan areas in the US after New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, as well as two more of the 20 largest international airports in the US. A look at which other destinations rank in this list indicates where Emirates may plant itself next in the US.

In conversation with Spirit Airlines CEO Ben Baldanza

Spirit Airlines has proven there is room in the mature US market for a new model and unusual network strategy.

Dallas-Ft Worth Airport still dominated by American Airlines, but some new tails appearing

In the mid 1960s, when Dallas-Ft Worth International Airport was first envisioned, the airport’s Master Plan was frequently displayed as an overlay of Manhattan, with DFW being the larger map. Once completed, it was given its own postal (zip) code and became a bragging point for North Texans who like to dote on the generally big nature of all things Texas.

World Airport Rankings 2010: US airports dominate, Atlanta still biggest. Tokyo Haneda into Top 30

The world’s air traffic controllers had a slightly busier year in 2010, handling 0.8% more flights across the leading airports. But regional differences abound. Aircraft movements increased the most in Latin America-Caribbean (+6.2%), Middle East (+6.1%) and Asia Pacific (+5%) while movements continued to decline in Europe (-0.4%) and North America (-1.2%), according to Airports Council International.

World Airport Rankings 2010: Big changes to global Top 30. Beijing up to #2, Heathrow falls to #4

The rankings of the world’s busiest airports for 2010 have yielded some key developments in global aviation. Beijing Capital Airport has surged into second place behind Atlanta, leapfrogging London Heathrow, which has also dropped below Chicago O’Hare, according to Airports Council International (ACI).