Spirit Airlines, struggling with its second bankruptcy in a year, filed notices with Florida officials on Sept. 25 that the airline will be furloughing 730 flight attendents at three airports in the state starting Dec. 1.
Another 334 will be furloughed in Atlanta and 64 in Chicago, according to the low-budget airline’s mandatory WARN notices.
The Dania Beach-based carrier said last week it would be furloughing 1,800 flight attendants ahead of the holiday season to “align staffing with our fleet size and expected flight volume.”
“This furlough is expected to be temporary,” Nick Bartlotta, senior vice-president for Guest Experience and Crew Operations, said in the filings, “however, we are unsure as to the duration.”
The furlough is also subject to the terms of any applicable bargaining agreement. Spirit must offer flight attendants voluntary furloughs first before introducing involuntary furloughs, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the union representing Spirit Airlines flight attendants, said in a statement to USA TODAY.
After awarding the voluntary furlough, management will proceed with involuntary furloughs in inverse order of system seniority up to the 1,800 number, in accordance with flight attendant contracts, the union said.
It is unclear how the furloughs will affect employees’ pay and benefits.
Spirit Airlines assured its guests in an open letter Aug. 29 that flights would continue normally during the bankruptcy. However, the company said in court filings that it would reduce its presence in certain markets, shrink its network and cut costs.
Where are Spirit flight attendents getting furloughed?
According to the Sept. 25 WARN notices, the following Florida airports are temporarily losing Spirit staff:
There will also be 334 flight attendents furloughed at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia and 64 at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, according to WARN notices filed Sept. 24.
What are WARN notices?
A 1988 federal law called the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires covered employers to provide written notice to employees, their representatives and certain government parties 60 days before a mass layoff or plant closing. The notice is to give the employees time to adjust to the loss in income, apply for new jobs, or look for training opportunities to improve their chances or change careers.
The WARN Act affects employers with more than 100 full-time employees or 100 or more employees who in the aggregate work at least 4,000 hours per week, not counting overtime.
Spirit sent notices of each furlough to the Florida Department of Commerce, the affected airports, and the mayors for the areas where the airports are located, as well as the mayor of Dania Beach where the carrier is based.
Why did Spirit declare bankruptcy?
Spirit reported a net loss of about $246 million through mid-June since emerging from its last bankruptcy in March. Last year, the low-cost airline tried to merge with JetBlue but dropped the deal after it was blocked in the court.
Industry analysts and executives say Spirit’s troubles stemmed from its failure to fix its bloated cost structure in the first bankruptcy. The airline is also locked in a dispute with aircraft lessor AerCap Holdings over 73 current and promised airplanes, according to court filings.
Recently the company has tried to market itself as the premium option among budget airlines with a new ticket lineup, an updated loyalty program, extra legroom seating for the “Go Comfy” ticketholders (now called “Premium Economy”), and two free checked bags for travelers using Spirit’s Mastercard.
Spirit has also ended service to 13 airports and announced plans to suspend about 40 seasonal and less-frequent routes. The airline plans to cut its fleet and focus on core cities such as Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Detroit as part of its restructure plans, Spirit Chairman Robert Milton told the Wall Street Journal.
Meanwhile, other airlines such as Frontier, JetBlue and Allegiant Air have been swooping in to pick up routes that Spirit has dropped.
Which Florida airports does Spirit fly out of?
As of Sept. 30, Spirit currently services the following Florida airports:
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Spirit Airlines to furlough 730 flight attendants at 3 Florida airports, here’s where
Reporting by C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
