MIAMI — Spirit Airlines plans to furlough about 1,800 flight attendants and slash routes to more than a dozen cities as the budget carrier grapples with its second bankruptcy filing in less than a year, company officials said.
The furloughs, set to begin Dec. 1, will hit hardest in Florida, where nearly 800 employees — mostly flight attendants — are affected across three major airports. That includes 350 attendants based at Orlando International Airport, more than 300 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and 71 at Miami International Airport, according to notices filed with state officials. Another 70 unionized mechanics in Florida also face furloughs.
Outside Florida, the cuts extend to 393 flight attendants in Las Vegas, over 330 in Atlanta and more than 60 in Chicago. The moves come as part of broader cost-cutting efforts following the airline’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing on Aug. 29, aimed at reducing debt and focusing on stronger markets.
Spirit has been hammered by financial losses totaling around $246 million in the first half of the year. A failed merger attempt with JetBlue Airways last year and disputes with aircraft lessors have added to the strain. “We’re taking these steps to align our staffing with our current fleet and expected flight volumes,” said Nick Bartlotta, the airline’s senior vice president for guest experience and crew operations, in the filings.
On the route side, the carrier is discontinuing service to 13 airports and suspending about 40 seasonal or less-frequent routes starting the week of Oct. 2. Eight of the dropped cities involve connections to Las Vegas, reflecting a strategic pullback. Overall, Spirit expects to cut its flight capacity by 25% compared to last year.
The Association of Flight Attendants, which represents Spirit’s cabin crew, said it had initially fended off deeper cuts but couldn’t avoid them amid the airline’s shrinking operations. The union is pushing for preferential hiring at other carriers for those furloughed and noted the layoffs could be temporary, though no end date has been set.
Despite the turbulence, Spirit assured passengers that flights will operate normally through the bankruptcy process. Rivals like Frontier and Allegiant have already moved to pick up some of the abandoned routes.
These latest announcements come after other cutbacks, like furloughing 270 pilots and reducing pay for the rest, as Spirit scales back its staff to fit the weaker demand outlook for 2026. The carrier, famous for its bare-bones service, is now adding upscale seats and better rewards programs to try pulling in extra cash.
Spirit emerged from its first bankruptcy in March but quickly slid back into red ink, prompting the latest restructuring. Analysts say the carrier’s young fleet could draw interest from buyers, but no deals have materialized yet.
