Allegiant Travel Company Third Quarter 2015 Financial Results

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 21, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Allegiant Travel Company (NASDAQ:ALGT) today reported the following financial results for the third quarter 2015, as well as comparisons to prior year equivalents:

“We are very proud to report another profitable quarter,” stated Maurice J. Gallagher, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Allegiant Travel Company.  “Our financial performance continues to benefit from lower energy costs and the profitable growth of our network.  In addition, we continue to enhance our management, systems and processes to better support our operations.  These efforts reinforce our belief that growth rates should not exceed the capabilities of our infrastructure.  We are also working towards simplifying our operations where possible.  Our eventual migration to an all Airbus fleet is the biggest step in this effort.  We currently have 18 Airbus aircraft in our fleet and expect to have 25 by year end; over the next few years, our current commitments will take us to a total of 50 Airbus aircraft.

Once again, all this is possible only through the hard work and dedication of our Team members, particularly during our busy summer months.  Thank you."

Notable company highlights

• Airbus aircraft - In August, committed to purchase our 50th Airbus aircraft
  
• Aircraft financing - Raised $29.0 million in debt secured by two A319 aircraft in September
  
• Network growth - Third quarter scheduled ASMs grew by 24.2 percent; cities by 8 percent, routes by 17 percent.  As of September 30, the company is selling 296 routes versus 236 routes during the same time period last year
  
• Share repurchase - Returned approximately $38 million to shareholders through the repurchase of 175,307 shares during the third quarter
  
• Recurring dividend - Shareholders of record as of August 20, 2015 were paid a total of $5.1 million on September 4, 2015
  

Third quarter 2015 network trends

• Airbus growth - Increased the number of Airbus in service by seven versus last year.  Airbus aircraft flew over 77 percent of the incremental scheduled service ASMs in the third quarter
  
• Airbus network - Airbus aircraft flew over 32 percent of the third quarter ASMs versus 22 percent a year ago
  
• New route growth - New routes, routes that were not operated during the same period last year, accounted for 79 percent of the growth in ASMs in the quarter
  

Third quarter 2015 revenue performance

• Scheduled service revenue - Increased by 1.9 percent driven by a 22.8 percent increase in scheduled service passengers, offset by a 17.1 percent decrease in average fare.  The decrease in average fare was directly related to a higher proportion of flying in new markets and during off peak times versus the same period last year
  
• Air-related charges - Average ancillary air related charges per passenger increased 13.4 percent due to an increase in the convenience fee that occurred in the fourth quarter of 2014 and effective yield management of other existing products
  
• Third party products - Average ancillary third party products revenue per passenger was flat versus the same period last year.  This was due to increased capacity growth on the East Coast, which is more favorable to rental car transactions, as demonstrated by rental car days increasing over 53 percent versus the third quarter last year.  This offset the continued weakness in hotel room nights which declined 17 percent versus the same quarter last year
  
• Impacts on TRASM - Third quarter TRASM declined 8.2 percent.  Excluding the impact of the increased September 11 fee and the implementation of the Credit Card Surcharge and its accounting as a reduction in sales and marketing cost, TRASM would have declined 5.2 percent
  

Fourth quarter 2015 revenue trends

• TRASM guidance - Fourth quarter TRASM is expected to decrease between 10.5 and 8.5 percent versus the fourth quarter last year
  
• New route growth - New routes, routes that have been in service for less than one year, are expected to be almost 16 percent of fourth quarter ASMs versus 6.2 percent of fourth quarter 2014 ASMs
  
• Off peak flying - The number of seats flown on off peak days of the week are expected to account for almost 23 percent of the total in the fourth quarter versus 20 percent in the same quarter last year.  Additionally, ASMs in October and November will grow more rapidly than December
  
• Impacts on TRASM - The impact of the Credit Card Surcharge is expected to continue to account for about two percentage points of the decline in TRASM
  

Third quarter 2015 cost performance

• CASM - For the quarter, total operating expense per ASM (CASM) decreased 23.5 percent year over year. 
  
• CASM ex fuel - Third quarter CASM ex fuel outperformed initial expectations of decreasing ten to eight percent.  The decrease of 11.3 percent was aided by a shift in maintenance events from the third quarter into the fourth quarter 
  
• Aircraft fuel - Quarterly fuel expense decreased 28.0 percent driven by a 41.3 percent decrease in our price per gallon which was offset by a 22.7 percent increase in gallons consumed.  Overall fleet fuel efficiency continues to improve as a larger percentage of flying is accomplished by Airbus aircraft
  
• Salary and benefits - Quarterly salary and benefits expense increased 13.2 percent versus the prior year primarily due to a 14.6 percent increase in full time equivalent employees associated with an 8.3 percent increase in average number of aircraft in service.  In addition, the increase in company profitability drove an increase in bonus accrual and a shift to higher pilot pay rates that became effective on May 1, 2015
  
• Station operations - Quarterly station operations expense increased by 25.6 percent versus the prior year as system departures increased by 27.4 percent.  Stations expense on a per departure basis declined by more than one percent versus the same period last year
  
• Maintenance and repairs - Quarterly maintenance and repairs expense increased by 12.4 percent as the average fleet size grew 8.3 percent
  

Fourth quarter and full year 2015 cost trends

• CASM ex fuel - CASM ex fuel is expected to decrease between 33 and 31 percent compared to fourth quarter 2014.  Excluding the $43 million in 757 write down that occurred in December 2014, CASM ex fuel is expected to decline between 12 and 10 percent in the fourth quarter
  
• Maintenance and repairs expense - Expected to decline due to a lower number of expected heavy maintenance events versus last year, despite a shift in several maintenance events from the third quarter to the fourth quarter.  Full year 2015 maintenance and repairs expense per aircraft per month is expected to be between $100 thousand and $105 thousand
  
• Total ownership expense per aircraft per month - Full year 2015 total of depreciation expense and aircraft lease rental expense per aircraft per month is expected to be between $110 and $115 thousand
  

Balance sheet highlights

• Recurring dividend - Paid a quarterly cash dividend of $0.30 per share on September 4, 2015 to all shareholders of record as of August 20, 2015.  The Company intends to pay a fourth quarter $0.30 dividend on December 4, 2015 to all shareholders of record as of November 23, 2015
  
• Share repurchases - Share repurchases totaled approximately $38 million for the third quarter
  
• Shareholder returns - As of September 30, cash returned to shareholders was over $178 million for 2015.  $57 million was returned through dividends and $121 million through share repurchases
  
• Capital expenditures - Three Airbus aircraft were purchased in the third quarter which drove the bulk of $41 million in CAPEX for the quarter.  Full year CAPEX is expected to be approximately $275 million
  
• Additional debt in the third quarter - In September 2015, the Company raised $29.0 million in debt secured by two A319 aircraft
  
  

At this time, Allegiant Travel Company provides the following guidance to investors, subject to revision.

Allegiant Travel Company will host a conference call with analysts at 4:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, October 21, 2015 to discuss its third quarter 2015 financial results. A live broadcast of the conference call will be available via the Company’s Investor Relations website homepage at http://ir.allegiantair.com. The webcast will also be archived in the “Events & Presentations” section of the website.

Allegiant, Travel is our deal.®

Las Vegas-based Allegiant Travel Company® (NASDAQ:ALGT) is focused on linking travelers in small cities to world-class leisure destinations. Through its subsidiary, Allegiant Air, the company operates a low-cost, high-efficiency, all-jet passenger airline, and offers other travel-related products such as hotel rooms, rental cars, and attraction tickets through its website, allegiant.com. The company has been named one of America’s 100 Best Small Companies by Forbes Magazine for four consecutive years.  ALGT/G

Under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are only estimates or predictions based on our management's beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. Forward-looking statements include our statements regarding future unit revenue, future operating expense, ASM growth, departure growth, fixed-fee and other revenues, expected capital expenditures, number of contracted aircraft to be placed in service in the future, as well as other information concerning future results of operations, business strategies, financing plans, competitive position, industry environment, potential growth opportunities, the effects of future regulation and the effects of competition. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as the words "believe," "expect," “guidance,” "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate", “project”, “hope” or similar expressions.

Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Important risk factors that could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements generally may be found in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov . These risk factors include, without limitation, volatility of fuel costs, labor issues, the effect of economic conditions on leisure travel, debt covenants, terrorist attacks, risks inherent to airlines, demand for air services to our leisure destinations from the markets served by us, our dependence on our leisure destination markets, our competitive environment, an accident involving or problems with our aircraft, our reliance on our automated systems, our reliance on third parties who provide facilities or services to us, the possible loss of key personnel, economic and other conditions in markets in which we operate, aging aircraft and other governmental regulation, increases in maintenance costs and cyclical and seasonal fluctuations in our operating results.

Any forward-looking statements are based on information available to us today and we undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of future events, new information or otherwise.

Detailed financial information follows: