Spirit said it will carry out significant workforce reductions as part of its continuing restructuring, aligning staffing levels with a smaller fleet and reduced capacity heading into 2026.
An airline spokesperson confirmed to AirlineGeeks that the plan includes furloughing up to 365 more pilots and downgrading 170 captains to first officers during the first quarter of next year. The number of affected pilots is likely to decrease due to voluntary attrition, the spokesperson added.
Over the last year, Spirit has already furloughed nearly 800 pilots as it navigates back-to-back bankruptcy filings.
Maintenance Station Closures
The ultra-low-cost carrier will also close its maintenance stations and warehouse operations in Baltimore, Maryland, and Chicago, with those changes taking effect Jan. 1, 2026.
The carrier said there will be “volume-based staffing adjustments” across other maintenance locations and additional reductions across its corporate teams.
Spirit did not specify how many corporate positions would be affected.
“As part of our ongoing restructuring, we are taking additional steps to align staffing across our organization with our previously announced capacity reduction and smaller operating fleet size,” the spokesperson said. “We recognize the impact these decisions have on our Team Members, and we are committed to treating all those affected with care and respect.”
The cost-cutting measures come as Spirit continues to restructure under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which the airline entered in August for the second time in less than a year.
