Spirit Airlines is planning to furlough about 1,800 flight attendants, roughly a third of its cabin crew members, to cut costs as the budget airline struggles in its second bankruptcy in less than a year.
“As we work to return Spirit to profitability, we face difficult decisions about our network, our fleet, and ultimately our workforce,” John Bendoraitis, Spirit’s chief operating officer, wrote in a memo sent to flight attendants on Monday, which was reviewed by CNBC.
CNBC reported last week that CEO Dave Davis had warned staff about job cuts as Spirit looks to shrink its fleet in an effort to stabilize its business.
Some 800 Spirit flight attendants have already been out on voluntary leaves of absence, which has helped the airline avoid involuntary furloughs, Bendoraitis said.
“However, there is a limit to how many people can volunteer for these types of leave, and we have reached that mark,” he said.
