Spirit Airlines to furlough 1,800 flight attendants amid second bankruptcy
Budget carrier to place cabin crew on temporary leave as it restructures under Chapter 11 for a second time in a year
Spirit Airlines will furlough about 1,800 flight attendants before the end of the year as it enters a second Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 12 months. The decision is intended to align staffing with expected flight demand after the carrier filed for bankruptcy protection last month and announced plans to suspend operations in about a dozen U.S. cities beginning in October.
Spirit said it recognizes the impact on employees and will treat them with care and respect during the process. The Association of Flight Attendants said Spirit plans six month or one year voluntary furloughs starting November 1, followed by involuntary furloughs by seniority on December 1. The union said it is pursuing preferential interviews for furloughed workers with other airlines. The union noted that the scale of the staffing reduction will require a higher overall reduction in force than previously anticipated.
Spirit is ending service in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Birmingham, Alabama; Boise, Idaho; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Columbia, South Carolina; Portland, Oregon; and Salt Lake City. It is also suspending operations in Sacramento, Oakland, San Diego and San Jose in California. The company has long marketed its bright yellow planes and no-frills service, but its finances have deteriorated since the COVID-19 pandemic and the surge in operating costs and debt. By the time of its first Chapter 11 filing last November, Spirit had posted losses exceeding $2.5 billion since the start of 2020, and it has already pursued furloughs and job cuts in the current restructuring.
Even after emerging from bankruptcy protection in March, Spirit has continued to pursue cost-cutting measures. The carrier has announced plans to furlough about 270 pilots and to downgrade about 140 captains from captain to first officer in the coming months, with changes set to take effect on Oct. 1 and Nov. 1, respectively, in line with expected flight demand for 2026. Spirit has said it is exploring asset sales, including aircraft and real estate, as it weighs strategic options for its fleet and balance sheet. Attempts by JetBlue and Frontier to buy Spirit before and during its first bankruptcy cycle were unsuccessful.
Industry observers say Spirit's latest round of restructuring underscores the ongoing pressure on U.S. airlines to adjust schedules and debt levels from the postpandemic period. The outcome of the Chapter 11 process and any potential strategic moves could influence Spirit's position as demand patterns recover in the coming years.