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Insightful write-up, Lynn!

I wanted to highlight the reduced boarding times that result from fewer carry-on items, which you touched on briefly. My understanding is that this is critical to increasing capacity utilization because the longer that passengers take to deplane/board, the more idle time per plane and hence less time actually flying. I wonder how these capacity rates compare to other less profitable airlines.

I’m also curious about safety. To my knowledge, there have been no major safety issues on Spirit flights. However, I can imagine if there ever is an accident, people might assume that Spirit was skimping on taking the appropriate safety precautions since they skimp on everything else. Though this may not be the case, such perception amongst customers could be devastating.

On December 13, 2015, AVA commented on sweetgreen: a healthy dose of operating model alignment :

Great job, Molly! I have never been to a sweetgreen but your colorful description helped me develop a clear understanding of the company. It reminded me of our conversation in LEAD about MOD Pizza which similarly seeks to differentiate itself through how it cares for its employees and interacts with its communities.

I wonder if we could know more about sweetgreen’s financials – has it culture and local-sourcing process increased its profitability relative to its many peers in the space? I also wonder how if its sourcing process can be successfully replicated across geographies where access to local farmers and quality control might differ.

In terms of “innovative technology,” I’d like to learn more about how this aligns with its business model. Do its apps provide its customers with greater knowledge about healthy eating options or ways to engage with the community?

On December 13, 2015, AVA commented on NYCEDC: An Effective Means to a Worthy End :

Really enjoyed this post, especially having previously worked at NYCEDC in their real estate division. I think your concerns about the need for mayoral leadership to replicate success are valid and would also add that this operational model might not be as easy to replicate in other cities that lack the core assets of New York City. The City of New York owns a vast array of prime real estate and has no problem attracting talented young professionals drawn to the NYC lifestyle. This is an example of a city leveraging its core assets but I wonder how other cities/regions can similarly align business and operating models when they lack the real estate portfolio or human capital pool of NYC.