Reduced off-season passenger traffic forces Spirit Airlines to let go of 270 pilots

In a move aimed at preserving operational efficiency and returning to profitability, Spirit Airlines has announced a third round of furloughs and downgrades for its pilots, affecting a total of 410 team members. The Florida-based company made this announcement on Monday.

The union representing Spirit Airlines pilots, the Air Line Pilots Association, is working on a third Furlough Mitigation Memorandum of Understanding to reduce the scope of the furloughs. The union is also pursuing voluntary options to preserve pilot careers amid the furloughs, with a commitment to treating all affected team members with compassion and respect during the process.

This latest news was reported by Reuters, who also reported on Captain Ryan Muller's concerns about the shrinking of Spirit Airlines and the erosion of pilot seniority and careers. Captain Muller, the chairman of the Spirit unit of the Air Line Pilots Association, expressed his concerns, with no new information provided about the impact of these changes on pilot careers.

Spirit Airlines has a history of financial difficulties, having filed for bankruptcy protection last November and emerging from bankruptcy in March. The company rejected Frontier Group's acquisition offer worth about $2.16 billion on February 12, 2025.

The news of the workforce adjustments was first reported by Bloomberg News. However, no new information about the grounded Spirit Airlines flight at Detroit Metro Airport or Spirit Airlines' bankruptcy or emergence from bankruptcy was provided in this announcement.

In addition to the 270 pilots set to be furloughed on November 1, an additional 140 pilots will be demoted on October 1. The union and the airline continue to work together to find solutions that will minimise the impact on the pilot workforce.

The new CEO of Spirit Airlines, Dave Davis, has been managing the airline through difficult financial times, including multiple bankruptcy filings and pilot workforce reductions. He took over after longtime CEO Ted Christie was pushed out in April 2025.