Spirit Airlines to furlough 330 pilots as part of cost-cutting measures

Spirit Airlines will furlough 330 pilots starting at the end of January 2025. This decision follows a failed merger with JetBlue and ongoing financial struggles, with the airline not reporting a profit in five of the last six quarters. To cut costs by $80 million, Spirit plans to reduce its flight capacity by 20 percent and has sold 23 Airbus planes for $519 million. Additionally, 120 captains will be demoted to first officers. This is not the first round of furloughs; 186 pilots were furloughed in September. The airline is also exploring a merger with Frontier Airlines as part of its strategy to return to profitability.