Spirit Airlines to furlough 270 pilots

Process set to begin Nov. 1

A Spirit Airlines plane at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Spirit Airlines has announced it will be furloughing 270 pilots starting Nov. 1.

According to a media release on Monday, the airline said it’s taking this action “to ensure we operate as efficiently as possible as part of our efforts to return to profitability.” The move comes after the airline emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March.

The low-cost airline filed for bankruptcy protection last November.

At the time, more than 28,000 people worked for the company, many of them at its headquarters in South Florida.

Ted Christie announced his resignation as the president and chief executive officer of the airline in April.

Christie served as the Dania Beach-based company’s leader since 2019. He also resigned from the airline’s board of directors.

Spirit Airlines released the following statement:

We are taking necessary steps to ensure we operate as efficiently as possible as part of our efforts to return to profitability. Among these steps, we have made the difficult decision to furlough approximately 270 Pilots, effective Nov. 1, 2025, to better align staffing with our flight schedule. We recognize the weight of this decision and are committed to treating all affected Team Members with compassion and respect during this process.

Last week, the airline announced it will be providing a non-stop flight between Fort Lauderdale International Airport and Key West International Airport.

According to a media release, the new service will operate four times per week on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday starting on Nov. 6 and will increase to daily flights starting Dec. 18, 2025.

Spirit Airlines also travels to Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando, Pensacola, Tampa and West Palm Beach.

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Veronica Crespo

Veronica Crespo

Veronica Crespo writes for Local10.com and also oversees the Español section of the website. Born and raised in Miami, she graduated from the University of Miami, where she studied broadcast journalism and Spanish.