Spirit announced Monday that it will furlough approximately 1,800 flight attendants as part of its ongoing restructuring plan. The furloughs will take effect Dec. 1, 2025.
The ultra-low-cost carrier said the move is intended to bring staffing levels in line with its fleet size and anticipated flying schedule.
“As part of our ongoing restructuring, we are taking steps to align staffing with our fleet size and expected flight volume,” a Spirit spokesperson said in a statement to AirlineGeeks. “In line with this process, we have made the difficult decision to furlough approximately 1,800 Flight Attendants, effective Dec. 1, 2025. We recognize the impact of this decision on affected Team Members, and we are committed to treating them with care and respect during this process.”
Spirit has around 5,200 flight attendants in its ranks, who are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.
“We have been able to mitigate harm for our workgroup until this point,” the AFA said in a message to members. “The problem is that the significant reduction of aircraft and flight hours requires a much higher reduction in force and the company is clear that a furlough is necessary.”
Voluntary furloughs are also being offered to Spirit flight attendants starting in November, the union stated.
“Management has also indicated, though not officially noticed [notified?] us yet, that they will be seeking changes to our contract per Section 1113 of the Bankruptcy Code. We do not have any further details on this at this time. Information will move quickly though and we encourage you to stay close to your AFA communications,” the AFA added.
The furlough announcement follows earlier cuts within the airline’s pilot group. In the past several months, it has slashed over 500 pilot jobs.
Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in a year last month. As part of this restructuring, it has cut capacity while also pulling out of 11 U.S. cities.
