Spirit Airlines will cut its schedule for a quarter of November as the plate makes a tough bankruptcy decision.
Spirit CEO Dave Davis told staff in a memo viewed by TPG on Wednesday that the airline’s available seat mileage will be 25% smaller, a standard industry capability measure in November compared to the same period last year.
The cuts will involve “significant adjustments and ongoing cost-saving efforts in the restructuring,” he wrote.
FAQ: Spirit Airlines bankruptcy and how it might affect your travel
Spirit carried out Chapter 2, Chapter 11, bankruptcy reorganization in less than a year in August and is expected to change its roadmap, fleet and costs. The carrier withdrew from its last bankruptcy in March.
Budget airlines earlier in September confirmed that it will end flights to 11 destinations in October, plus a future city. These cuts overwhelmingly hit Spirit flights in the western United States, with eight airports, including Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon and San Diego International Airport (SAN) in California, losing service.
Davis did not say in the memo whether the November schedule would remove more cities from Spirit’s map. However, the timeline of aviation analytics Cirium shows that the airline’s November capacity is currently down only 14% year-on-year, suggesting a substantial additional reduction is needed to cut 25%.
Spirit executives said the airline will lay off employees and focus on core airports as part of its bankruptcy. These include Wayne County Airport (DTW), Fort Lauderdale-Gollywood International Airport (FLL) and Orlando International Airport (MCO).
Davis warned staff in the memorandum that the airline must cut costs, including costs with workforce groups.
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“As we become more effective airlines, these assessments will inevitably affect the size of our team,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, these are the hard calls we must make stronger.”
Spirit has reportedly told leaders of its pilot association Air Force Pilot Association that it is seeking about $100 million in pilot savings.
Read more: Spirit Airlines Axes from 11 cities in the roadmap as bankruptcy begins
A spokesperson for the ALPA Spirit Chapter did not respond to a request for comment.
Spirit has said it will demote 270 pilots on October 1 and November 1, and relegate another 140 captains to the first officer. It added another 200 pilots in 2024.
In the aviation industry, many people question whether the spirit can survive this reorganization. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said at a Sept. 9 event in Washington, D.C. that he suspected that the spirit would stand out from bankruptcy.
Even if their airlines will profit from spiritual liquidation, other industry leaders’ predictions are even more despicable.
“It’s always hard to see another operator fight,” JetBlue Airways CEO Joanna Geraghty said at the same event with Kirby. JetBlue competes with Spirit in FLL and MCO, both of which think the focus is on the city.
JetBlue and Spirit attempted to merge in 2022, only to prevent the U.S. Department of Justice’s deal from being blocked on competitive grounds. The airline officially ended the proposed combination in March 2024.
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