Spirit Airlines has sent a memo to staff stating that the company plans to furlough about 1,800 flight attendants, roughly a third of its cabin crew members.
The cost-cutting move aims to reduce expenses as the budget airline confronts its second chapter 11 bankruptcy in less than a year.
In the memo sent to flight attendants on Monday, Spirit’s COO, John Bendoraitis stated, “As we work to return Spirit to profitability, we face difficult decisions about our network, our fleet, and ultimately our workforce. We need to shift our focus to a complete rightsizing of the airline, which means volume-based adjustments to our Flight Attendant group, and across our teams. This is hard news, and we understand it affects not only you and your peers but also your families.”
The current voluntary furloughs can last either six or 12 months, and employees who opt for the leave will retain their medical benefits during this period, as stated in a note from the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) union to its members.
Following the announcement, the AFA stated that it is collaborating with union chapters at various airlines to assist affected flight attendants in securing “preferential interviews” with other carriers. The involuntary furloughs are scheduled to begin on December 1.
By CEO NA Editorial Staff
