(NewsNation) — Spirit Airlines plans to furlough 1,800 flight attendants before the end of the year, the budget carrier said Monday.
Spirit, which is going through its second bankruptcy in a year, said it made the “difficult decision” to put cabin crew members on temporary leave to match staffing needs with expected flight demand.
The airline typically operates with approximately 5,200 flight attendants.
Spirit announced in early September that it was ending flight service to 12 cities starting in October.
CNBC reports that the following cities will be impacted by the service cuts in October: Albuquerque, New Mexico; Birmingham, Alabama; Boise, Idaho; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Columbia, South Carolina; Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as Oakland, San Diego, Sacramento and San Jose, all in California.
Known for its bright yellow planes and no-frills service, Spirit has struggled to rebound since the COVID-19 pandemic amid rising operational costs and its mounting debt. By the time of its first Chapter 11 filing last November, Spirit had lost more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020.
NewsNation’s Meg Hilling contributed to this report.
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