Spirit Airlines to furlough 270 pilots, demote 140 more on downsized schedule

The furloughs will go into effect on Nov. 1, while designation downgrades for captains will take place on Oct. 1, the company told Reuters in an emailed statement. "Spirit continues to shrink, and with it, the value of pilot seniority and Spirit careers continues to erode," said Captain Ryan Muller, chairman of the Spirit unit of the Air Line Pilots Association, adding that this marks the third round of pilot furloughs and downgrades since September 2024. The union said it is working on a third