A Spirit Airlines plane parked at New York’s LaGuardia Airport
Leslie Josephs/CNBC
Spirit Airlines is cutting about 200 jobs companywide as the troubled budget airline seeks to reduce costs after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November.
“We are executing on plans to right-size our organization to fit our current fleet size and flight levels and ultimately optimize our airline,” the airline told CNBC in a statement. “Following a review of our organizational structure “We have made the difficult decision to eliminate approximately 200 positions across the airline.”
The Dania Beach, Florida-based airline has previously furloughed hundreds of pilots and offered time off to flight attendants in an attempt to reduce costs. It has also shrunk its network and struck a deal to sell part of its Airbus jetliner fleet to raise cash.
The airline has been struggling since its planned merger with the airline. JetBlue Airways It was blocked by a federal court a year ago on antitrust grounds, intensifying a battle that includes a Pratt & Whitney engine recall and soaring labor costs after the pandemic.
“While we continue to improve operating efficiencies, these efforts, combined with our recent pilot furloughs, deliver on our previously announced goal of $80 million in annualized cost reductions,” Spirit said. “These decisions are never made lightly , we are committed to treating all affected team members with the utmost care and respect.”
The airline said it expected to exit bankruptcy proceedings this season.
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