Spirit will slash the salaries for its roughly 2,400 pilots in another cost-cutting move for the beleaguered carrier. These cuts come after the airline furloughed over 500 pilots this year, with more planned in 2026.
The ultra-low-cost carrier – which filed for bankruptcy for the second time in August – will dock hourly pilot wages by 8%. Union leaders approved a tentative agreement this week that is still pending final sign-off from Spirit’s pilots.
This deal comes after months of “difficult bargaining,” said Captain Ryan Muller, chair of the Spirit Airlines Master Executive Council at ALPA, in a statement to AirlineGeeks.
Negotiations between the union and airline were done “under the shadow of a potential Section 1113 filing, a bankruptcy process that would have carried an uncertain and worse outcome than a consensual agreement,” Muller added. “By reaching an agreement, we have preserved the ability for pilots, not the court, to decide the terms of any agreement.”
Spirit did not respond to a request for comment. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) confirmed the tentative agreement, which also requires bankruptcy court approval.
$100 Million in Cuts
In September, Spirit’s chief operating officer, John Bendoraitis, said it needs to save $100 million a year on its pilot contract, according to Business Insider.
These savings, Bendoraitis added, are to help “secure the company’s future.” For the third quarter, Spirit reported a net loss of $317.5 million.
Also part of the deal with its pilots, Spirit will decrease 401(k) defined contributions from 16% to 8%, effective Jan. 1. Pay restoration is slated for Aug. 1, 2028, with a 4% increase, followed by another 4% on Jan. 1, 2029. The 401(k) contribution will be restored to 16% by July 1, 2029, union officials told pilots.
The airline’s flight attendants are also in the process of negotiating changes to their contract.
