I've installed a new senior leadership team, that is about 30% more affordable than 2019, but includes a dedicated guest experience team and a transformation team to focus on the guest experience, and ensure we operate more efficiently and effectively.
As previously announced, we reduced our full time headcount by 240 employees or about 10% of the workforce.
If we standardize that one order and by just one kind of lettuce, we will save $40,000 per year.
We are eliminating 15 underperforming rides this year, reducing maintenance costs, and freeing up significant capex resources.
We sold 38% more paid single-day tickets compared to the previous year, with total attendance up 19%.
So in addition to improving the efficacy of our media spend by using our new analytical tool, we intend to increase our marketing spend to 4% to 5% of revenue versus the historical 3% to 4%, based on observed returns of increased investments to drive incremental EBITDA dollars.
My first 90 days on the job have only reinforced my belief, that this is a great business.
Results for the third quarter were not comparable to prior year, because we suspended the operations at nine of our 26 parks for almost the entire quarter, and had attendance limitations at our other parks, that were open.
The parks that were open, represented slightly more than 50% of our 2019 attendance, and invested approximately 35% of prior levels in the quarter.
Upon our initial reopening in the second quarter, attendance at our open parks averaged 20% to 25% of prior levels.
That grew through the third quarter from 27% in July to 43% in September.
In October, so far, we are indexing more than 30% [Phonetic] of prior year, with the number of parks beating prior attendance on several operating days.
Total attendance for the quarter was 2.6 million guests.
371,000 of which came from our Drive-Through Safari at our park in New Jersey.
As a result of the 81% decline in attendance, revenue in the quarter was down $495 million or 80% to $126 million.
Sponsorship, international and accommodations revenue declined by $22 million, due to the following three things.
Guest spending per capita in the quarter increased 10%, driven by an 11% increase in admissions per capita, and a 9% increase in in-park spending per capita.
On the cost side, cash operating and SG&A expenses decreased by $94 million or 39%, primarily due to the following; first, cost-saving measures, primarily related to salaries and wages, especially at the parks, that were not operating.
Employees at closed parks are on a 25% salary reduction, as are our senior leadership team and other corporate executives.
Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was a loss of $54 million, compared to income of $307 million in the prior year period.
Deferred revenue of $199 million was up $1 million or less than 1% to prior year, driven by suspension of operations at our parks and extension of the 2020 season passes to the 2021 operating season.
We are very pleased with the loyalty and retention of our very large active pass base of 3.7 million, which included 1.9 million members and 1.9 million season pass holders at the end of the third quarter.
In fact, our active pass base is close to flat versus the end of the second quarter of this year, when we had 2.1 million members and 1.7 million season pass holders.
Although the active pass base at the end of the third quarter is down 49% compared to the same time last year, this is primarily due to substantially lower sales of new season passes and memberships, due to the short-term impact on demand from the pandemic.
To-date, 14% of current members have chosen to pause their membership and we anticipate that most of these paused members will return to active paying members, once we reopen our remaining parks.
In the first nine months of 2020, we spent $90 million on capital expenditures, net of property insurance recoveries, but expect to spend minimal capital in the fourth quarter.
Our liquidity position as a September 30th, was $673 million.
This included $459 million of available revolver capacity, net of $22 million of letters of credit, and $214 million of cash.
This compares to a pro forma liquidity position of $756 million as of June 30, 2020, a reduction of $83 million, representing approximately $27 million per month of net cash outflows, in line with our prior estimates.
We estimate that our net cash outflows will continue to average $25 million to $30 million per month through the end of 2020, including partnership park distributions that represents an average run rate of $7 million per month for the last three months of the year.
This level is definitely mix driven, but we estimate breakeven EBITDA levels in an attendance range of 45% to 55% of 2019.
We estimate breakeven free cash flows at an attendance range of 65% to 75% of 2019.
We believe we have adequate liquidity through the end of 2021, even if we need to close our parks.
Executing the transformation will require one-time cost of approximately $69 million through 2021.
$60 million of which is expected to be cash and $9 million of non-cash write-offs.
So far, $29 million has been incurred through the end of the third quarter of 2020, $6 million of which was incurred in the second quarter and $23 million of which was incurred in the third quarter.
We anticipate that we will incur approximately $5 million in charges in the fourth quarter of 2020, including the $3 million in employee termination costs related to our full time headcount reduction, previously discussed.
The remainder of the $69 million in costs are expected to be incurred by the end of 2021, approximately two-thirds of which will be technology investments.
Financially, we expect the transformation to unlock $80 million to $110 million in incremental annual run rate EBITDA, once fully executed.
Taking the midpoint of our pre-pandemic 2020 adjusted EBITDA guidance of $450 million, this implies a new earnings baseline of at least $530 million to $560 million, once the transformation plan is completed, and we are operating in a normal business environment.
Of the $80 million to $110 million in transformation value, roughly half the value is expected to be realized through a reduction of fixed costs, that is independent of attendance levels and is fully in our control.
From our revenue initiatives, we expect to deliver $30 million to $40 million of EBITDA.
For our three cost productivity initiatives, we expect to deliver $50 million to $70 million in EBITDA.
Of this, $40 million to $55 million will be realized through a reduction of fixed costs that is independent of attendance levels.
We expect to deliver $30 million to $35 million in EBITDA in 2021, from the reduction of the fixed costs.
We expect to deliver the full $40 million to $55 million in EBITDA by 2022, independent of attendance levels, with incremental benefits to be realized from revenue, and variable labor initiatives, depending on overall attendance in both 2021 and 2022.
First, we have an incredible portfolio of regional theme parks, serving all of the top 10 DMAs in the U.S., as well as major metropolitan areas in Mexico and Canada.
Second, our recent surveys of several thousand consumers reveal that 93% of them would visit a theme park, if they were guaranteed a COVID free environment by rapid testing.
In addition, 87% of consumers say they would visit a theme park after vaccine becomes available.
We remain intently focused on executing our transformational plan, to achieve our earnings baseline of at least $530 million to $560 million, once we are operating in a normal business environment.

Summary:
As a result of the 81% decline in attendance, revenue in the quarter was down $495 million or 80% to $126 million.
We believe we have adequate liquidity through the end of 2021, even if we need to close our parks.