Spirit airlines is planning to furlough 1,800 flight attendants — around a third of the cabin crew as a cost-cutting measure as the airline deals with its second bankruptcy in a year. “As we work to return Spirit to profitability, we face difficult decisions about our network, our fleet, and ultimately our workforce,” John Bendoraitis, Spirit’s chief operating officer, wrote in a memo sent to flight attendants on Monday, which was reviewed by CNBC.
Spirit had previously announced furloughs and demotions of hundreds of pilots. Executives told the airline’s pilots’ union that it is seeking $100 million in cost cuts from them. Bendoraitis told the union, the Air Line Pilots Association, last week that that management is “available to continue to negotiate every day thereafter to reach a consensual agreement” by Oct. 1. Under the bankruptcy process, however, the airline could find relief outside of the pilots’ labor contract.
READ: Spirit Airlines files for bankruptcy, says it plans to continue flying (
Some flight attendants had already taken voluntary leaves of absence, thus preventing involuntary furloughs. “However, there is a limit to how many people can volunteer for these types of leave, and we have reached that mark,” Bendoraitis said about this.
The airline will first offer voluntary furloughs. Flight attendants can apply for voluntary furlough leaves of six or 12 months and will retain medical benefits, their union, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), said in a note to members on Monday. AFA also said it is working with union chapters at other airlines to help affected flight attendants get “preferential interviews” with other carriers. AFA also said the furloughs will begin on Dec. 1.
READ: Spirit Airlines to cut jobs, scale back flights following bankruptcy (
Spirit Airlines, known for its low costs and bare-bones service, filed for bankruptcy shortly after emerging from a previous Chapter 11 reorganization in March. The carrier has been struggling with its operations ever since it emerged from its first bankruptcy. Over the years, the carrier has faced competition from larger airlines like American and United, which also rolled out basic fares, while providing more perks on board. There has also been a takeover attempt by a competitor, JetBlue.
Earlier this month, the airline reduced its flight schedule to 12 cities and suspended service to four California airports: Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose, and San Diego. Spirit Airlines CEO Dave Davis had told employees through a memo, which reportedly said that they will see a 25% cut in capacity over 2024 “as we optimize our network to focus on our strongest markets.” The airline saw a similar cut when it first came out of bankruptcy in March through the end of June.