Spirit Airlines' solid 3Q2013 performance is tempered by warnings of cost headwinds

Profit growth of nearly 98% by Spirit Airlines in 3Q2013 was dampened by the carrier's revelation that it will encounter some cost headwinds at YE2013 and into 2014. These are driven by possible expenses related to an engine failure incident that occurred in Oct-2013, increasing costs due to new flight duty and rest time regulations for pilots and a 22% average growth rate during the next couple of years.

As those warnings cause some uncertainty around the carrier's unit cost containment, Spirit's rapid expansion into the continental US during the past few years is resulting in a typical pattern of perhaps strong 1Q and 3Q profits, and 2Q and 4Q performances that do not quite reach the levels recorded in the peak periods. The airline has stated that its 4Q2013 results should be similar to 1Q2013 - when top-line revenue grew 23% and net income increased 31% year-on-year.