US low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines plans to furlough some 1,800 flight attendants as it makes drastic capacity cuts in a bid to financially stabilise itself.
The furloughs, which Spirit describes as a “difficult decision”, will be effective on 1 December.
The Florida-based company is looking to cut passenger capacity by roughly 25% of equivalent-period 2024 levels as it undergoes its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy process in less than a year.
“As part of our ongoing restructuring, we are taking steps to align staffing with our fleet size and expected flight volume,” Spirit said on 22 September.
“We recognise the impact of this decision on affected team members, and we are committed to treating them with care and respect during this process,” it adds.
Spirit plans to furlough about 270 pilots starting on 1 November as part of previously disclosed cost-cutting measures. It will also downgrade 140 captains to first officers on 1 October.
The planned flight attendant furloughs are just the latest sign of trouble at Spirit, which earlier this month disclosed plans to pull out of certain mid-size domestic markets amid a wholesale network overhaul.
Network changes will focus on increased connectivity and moving away from the strictly point-to-point model.
In August, the company said it would re-enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, citing stiff competition, problems with the Pratt & Whitney engines that power its fleet of Airbus A320neo-family aircraft and termination of aircraft leases by Irish lessor AerCap.
Spirit’s leadership maintains that it is taking steps necessary to ensure that the discounter remains in the market for years to come, while United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby has repeatedly predicted Spirit’s collapse.
The company has struggled to be profitable in the post-pandemic domestic landscape, which has seen competition in the low-cost sector step up significantly – including from major US carriers also offering relatively inexpensive airline seats.
Spirit lost $246 million during the second quarter, compared with a $193 million loss during the same period of last year.
