Spirit furloughing hundreds of pilots
Spirit Airlines is temporarily downsizing its pilot ranks again.
The airline announced it will furlough 270 pilots from November 1 to cut costs as it scales down its off-season flight schedules.
Also, Spirit is downgrading 140 pilots from captain to first officer, effective from October 1.
“We know how hard this news hits, and there’s no dressing that up. Spirit continues to shrink, and with it, the value of pilot seniority and Spirit careers continues to erode,” said Ryan Muller, a captain and chairman of Spirit’s ALPA pilot union chapter.
The airline says the changes will ‘better align staffing with our flight schedule.’
Spirit has been cutting staffing levels and flight routes to restructure the business following the recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy process.
“We are taking necessary steps to ensure we operate as efficiently as possible as part of our efforts to return to profitability,” Spirit said.
“We recognize the weight of this decision and are committed to treating all affected team members with compassion and respect,” Spirit added.
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