Reuters) - Spirit Airlines on Tuesday announced its plans for commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, saying it will offer free seats to all passengers on that day. The company's chief executive, Jacob Schorr, called the 13,000 free seats a "thank you" to the American public and the airline's customers.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Reuters) - Spirit Airlines on Tuesday announced its plans for commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, saying it will offer free seats to all passengers on that day.
The company's chief executive, Jacob Schorr, called the 13,000 free seats a "thank you" to the American public and the airline's customers.
"Had it not been for the support of our passengers and their willingness to get back in the air after the tragedy last year, then Spirit Airlines may not have survived," he said in a statement.
The announcement comes as airlines around the country are determining how to honor the tragedy that took the lives of about 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
Last week American Airlines, which lost two planes in the attacks, said its pilots would make announcements on Sept. 11 this year asking passengers to reflect on the significance of the anniversary and remember those who died.
American, the world's largest air carrier, said it would hold private moments of reflection for its own employees, who lost 17 colleagues in the attacks.
LOWER DEMAND SEEN FOR SEPT. 11 ANNIVERSARY
Several major U.S. airlines have reduced flights around the Sept. 11 anniversary because of lower demand, including American and United Airlines, which also lost two planes in the hijackings.
But privately-held, Fort Lauderdale-based Spirit Airlines, which serves Florida and Puerto Rico as well as major cities around the nation, said it plans to run a full schedule of 90 flights to 14 locations on that day. The press release called the anniversary "a day of freedom to travel."
Laura Bennett, a company spokeswoman, said bookings had been at about 20 percent of capacity prior to the announcement, above what the airline had been expecting.
She said there has been an "amazing" response to the announcement of the free seats. Based on the response so far, she said, she expects the airline will give away all of the available seats.
Spirit Airlines said reservations for the anniversary have to be made on its Web site,
http://www.spiritair.com and that people who had already booked flights for that day would receive flight credit for future trips.
hxxp://www.spiritair.com
Web site is very busy.
Threaded Mode
