Spirit Airlines will furlough approximately 270 pilots starting November 1, 2025, as part of operational adjustments.
The airline plans to downgrade about 140 captains on October 1, 2025, to align staffing with its flight schedule. Spirit Airlines emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2025, having filed in November 2024.
At the end of the first quarter of 2025, Spirit Airlines reported a net loss of USD10.9m. The furloughed pilots make up about 25pc of the airline’s workforce, which is unionised under the Air Line Pilot Association.
Spirit Airlines shared, “To ensure we operate as efficiently as possible as part of our efforts to return to profitability. This is the second pilot furlough the company has conducted in 2025. The affected pilots represent about 25pc of its workforce. We are aligning staffing with the flight schedule.”
