Low Cost Carriers

  • JetBlue was originally to be called “Taxi”, but the name was dropped for several reasons including the ambiguity of the word with air traffic control procedures
  • Originally founded as Charter One in 1980, Spirit Airlines was renamed in 1992, two years after the start of scheduled service
  • Worldwide there are currently 119 low cost carriers, and at least that many that are now defunct
  • The current incarnation of Frontier Airlines began in Denver in 1994 as a result of the 1993 pull-out of Continental Airlines from that city
  • The creation of the short-lived Delta “Song” and United “Ted” were a direct reaction to the early success of JetBlue
  • Virgin America’s inaugural flights in 2007 were on aircraft named “Sir Colbert” and “California Dreaming”