Spirit to Furlough More Than 300 Pilots as Losses Mount

The beleaguered airline continues to face mounting losses, reporting a net loss of $158 million in the second quarter. More losses are expected in its third-quarter earnings report.

Last week, Spirit said it finalized an agreement to sell 23 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft, reducing its fleet by approximately 11 percent next year. Spirit still has several new A320neo and A321neo aircraft grounded due to Pratt & Whitney engine issues.

In addition, the carrier announced an $80 million plan to cut costs, which will primarily be driven by workforce reductions, Spirit said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. This plan will be implemented starting in early 2025.

The carrier expects year-over-year capacity to be down in the midteens range.

About 330 of the airline’s 3,500 pilots are set to be furloughed in the coming months. The carrier is also downgrading roughly 120 captains.

A Spirit spokesperson confirmed the furloughs in a statement to AirlineGeeks.

“We are implementing a series of cost savings initiatives throughout our business, including a reduction in workforce, as part of our comprehensive plan to return to profitability,” the spokesperson said. “We have made the difficult decision to furlough approximately 330 pilots, effective January 31, 2025, to align with our expected flight volume. These decisions are never made lightly, and we are committed to treating all affected team members with the utmost care and respect during this process.”

All of this comes as Spirit and Frontier Airlines are reportedly revisiting merger talks, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The airlines terminated their initial deal in 2022.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.