(NewsNation) — Spirit Airlines plans to furlough 1,800 flight attendants before the end of the year, the budget carrier said Monday.
Amid its second bankruptcy within a year, Spirit announced that it made the “challenging decision” to temporarily lay off cabin crew members in order to align staffing levels with anticipated flight demand.
The airline typically operates with approximately 5,200 flight attendants.
Spirit announced in early September that it was ending flight service to 12 cities starting in October.
According to CNBC, the following cities will experience service reductions in October: Albuquerque, New Mexico; Birmingham, Alabama; Boise, Idaho; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Columbia, South Carolina; Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City, Utah, and in California, Oakland, San Diego, Sacramento, and San Jose.
Famed for its signature bright yellow planes and barebones service, Spirit has faced difficulties recovering post-COVID-19 pandemic due to escalating operational costs and growing debt. By the time of its first Chapter 11 filing last November, the airline had incurred losses exceeding $2.5 billion since the beginning of 2020.
NewsNation’s Meg Hilling contributed to this report.
