Spirit Airlines - the power of “specials”

For those not yet familiar with Spirit Airlines they have major hubs in LA, Ft. Lauderdale and Las Vegas and offer a good number of flights throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. They have no affiliate marketing program but they have done a remarkable job of viral marketing via fares that are just too good to be true. The only catch is that the fares are true - I have flown multiple times internationally with them this year often paying less than $20 for the fare (and about $80 in international tax). I have no idea how deep their pockets are and/or if they are taking a loss on these fares but I’m guessing they do it in place of having a huge marketing budget and it appears to work. Atleast once or twice a week they send out an email alert of discounted fares that will only be available for 24 hours and I find myself visiting their site nearly every time - because I don’t want to miss out on a fare that is too good to be true! Today for example they have a $16 each way fare for select destinations. I checked it out and found I could go from Los Angeles to Guatemala City on Christmas eve for $16 plus tax - usually that would cost more than $300. This is the type of special price that causes me to forward it to friends and try to think of who may be interested in this fare. Now that is great marketing.