As its financial troubles continue, Spirit Airlines announced it is cutting back on the number of routes it serves. The discount airline is slashing service to a dozen cities.
Cities losing service
Starting in October, Spirit will no longer fly to Albuquerque, New Mexico; Birmingham, Alabama; Boise, Idaho; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Columbia, South Carolina; Portland, Oregon; and Salt Lake City, as well as four cities in California: Oakland, San Diego, Sacramento and San Jose. It is also scuttling plans to begin service in Macon, Georgia.
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In a statement to CNBC, Spirit said, “We apologize to our Guests for any inconvenience this may cause and will reach out to those with affected reservations to notify them of their options, including a refund.”
Bankruptcy backdrop
The retrenchment follows Spirit’s second Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in less than two years. The Florida-based carrier emerged from its first bankruptcy in March 2025 but has since racked up heavy losses — nearly $257 million between mid-March and June — despite earlier forecasts of a $252 million profit for the year.
This latest restructuring plan includes shrinking its fleet and cutting costs in hopes of saving hundreds of millions of dollars.
Staff cuts coming
As Straight Arrow News reported, Spirit is reshaping its workforce: 140 captains will be demoted to first officers on Oct. 1, followed by 270 pilot furloughs in November. Hundreds of flight attendants have already taken voluntary leave.
Spirit pushes back on shutdown talk
Despite the cuts, Spirit insists it is not preparing to close its doors.
“Spirit is responsible for making low fares available to consumers for more than 30 years, whether they fly with us or not … we have every expectation to continue doing so for many years to come,” said Duncan Dee, Spirit’s senior vice president of corporate communications.
Rivals circling
United Airlines is not waiting. The airline announced Thursday that it is adding flights to 15 cities — including Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Las Vegas — starting in early January 2026. United said it wants to give Spirit customers alternatives “if Spirit suddenly goes out of business.”
Spirit fired back, dismissing the move as wishful thinking of a high-cost airline hoping to eliminate a low-cost competitor.
