ORLANDO, Fla. – Spirit Airlines passengers are facing fewer choices this fall, as the ultra-low-cost carrier begins cutting service to eleven cities across the country and trimming its workforce to stay afloat.
The changes come after Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in just ten months, a sign of just how fragile its financial position has become and how uncertain its future now looks.
Starting Oct. 2, Spirit is pulling out of the following markets:
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Boise, Idaho
- Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Columbia, South Carolina
- Oakland, California
- Portland, Oregon
- Sacramento, California
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- San Diego, California
- San Jose, California
And just announced last week, Spirit now says they will also drop service on Oct. 31 in Connecticut (Hartford’s Bradley International Airport) and on Dec. 1 to Minnesota (Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport). Spirit was also scheduled to start service in Macon, Georgia (an October launch), but that service has been scrapped as well.
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For years, Spirit Airlines carved out a niche by advertising ultra-low fares while charging extra for everything from carry-on bags to seat assignments. That approach attracted cost-conscious travelers but also earned the airline a reputation for frustrating service and frequent fees. Now, with fewer destinations, furloughed staff and public doubt from rivals, the question is whether Spirit can adapt its model to survive in an industry where customer expectations and competitive pressures are rapidly changing.
Spirit says it will reduce overall flight capacity by about 25% and focus on its strongest markets, a strategy that unfortunately means fewer options for travelers in smaller and mid-size cities where Spirit is pulling out entirely. But the ripple effects are being felt in larger hubs too, including Orlando International Airport, where Spirit has been one of the busiest players.
At MCO, Spirit is currently the third-largest carrier, trailing only Southwest and Delta, and just slightly ahead of JetBlue, American and Frontier. The cutbacks could weaken that standing and reduce the leverage Spirit has enjoyed in one of its most important markets.
The pullback is not just a blow to passengers – it’s also hitting the airline’s workforce with hundreds of pilots and thousands of flight attendants facing furloughs. Industry observers say such reductions are often the most visible sign of a company in distress, since staff changes tend to follow sharp declines in scheduled flights.
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And Spirit’s tenuous situation and turmoil have drawn sharp commentary from competitors.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby went as far as to declare that the budget-airline business model itself may no longer be viable. In a recent interview, he predicted that Spirit will not survive, saying bluntly, “You can’t have a business model predicated on ‘screw the customer.’” The unusually harsh words underscore just how much doubt has grown about Spirit’s ability to weather its current crisis.
Adding to the pressure, Frontier Airlines (whose CEO responded to Kirby’s comments with his own little bit of sass when he said, “That’s cute.”) has been moving quickly to position itself as the beneficiary of Spirit’s struggles. Frontier recently announced 20 new flights for its customers.
The two carriers overlap on nearly a third of their routes, meaning that competition between them has long been fierce. But while Frontier is expanding, its latest additions do not appear to replace the destinations Spirit is abandoning, leaving some passengers without direct low-cost alternatives.
JetBlue as well as United are both also adding flights in some of Spirit’s markets in an effort to give Spirit’s customers travel alternatives in the months ahead, especially for holiday travel.