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Spirit CEO says struggling airline will slash flights, braces employees for more job cuts

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Spirit CEO says struggling airline will slash flights, braces employees for more job cuts


A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320 taxis at Los Angeles International Airport after arriving from Boston on September 1, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. 

Kevin Carter | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Spirit Airlines CEO Dave Davis on Wednesday braced staff for more job cuts and said the carrier plans to slash its schedule in November to reduce costs weeks after declaring its second bankruptcy in less than a year.

The airline is planning its November schedule and Davis told employees in a memo, which was reviewed by CNBC, that they will see a 25% cut in capacity over 2024 “as we optimize our network to focus on our strongest markets.”

The carrier’s capacity was down a similar degree from when it came out of bankruptcy in March through the end of June, and the new cuts point to how the airline is thinking about its near-term schedule as it seeks to reduce costs. The struggling discount carrier is in negotiations with vendors and aircraft lessors, and is evaluating its fleet size, as it tries to shrink itself to find more stable footing, Davis said.

“These evaluations will inevitably affect the size of our teams as we become a more efficient airline,” Davis wrote in his note to employees. “Unfortunately, these are the tough calls we must make to emerge stronger. We know this adds uncertainty, and we are committed to keeping you as these decisions are made.”

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When asked how many of its employees would be affected, Spirit told CNBC in an email: “We have engaged our labor unions to discuss the impacts of the network and fleet adjustments on our Team Members, and we will share more as these discussions progress.”

The airline has already announced furloughs and demotions of hundreds of pilots. Some flights attendants have already taken voluntary unpaid leaves of absence.

“Although management has not yet indicated they will seek to make changes to our [collective bargaining agreement], our bankruptcy attorneys working alongside our AFA legal department are prepared for any next steps management may take,” Spirit flight attendants’ union, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, told staff in on Wednesday. “Again, this bankruptcy will be much more difficult than the last one and we must be prepared to act to protect our interests as Flight Attendants.”

Spirit, known for its bright yellow planes, low fares and myriad fees, had been successful but high costs, shifting travel preferences and increased competition from larger rivals threw the airline off course. A failed acquisition by JetBlue Airways left the carrier on its own.

When Spirit emerged from bankruptcy in March, its leaders were hoping to find more stable financial footing. But the carrier avoided big changes in the process and instead focused on a deal with its bondholders, which exchanged almost $800 million in debt for equity, and it was greeted after bankruptcy with persistently higher costs and weaker-than-expected domestic travel demand.

It reported that it lost nearly $257 million since March 13, after it exited Chapter 11, through the end of June.

Earlier this month, Spirit announced flight cuts to 11 destinations and said it wouldn’t start a 12th as planned, while competitors like United Airlines, Frontier Airlines and JetBlue Airways have unveiled plans for new flights to try to win over Spirit customers.



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Ads for British beef and milk banned following Chris Packham complaint

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Ads for British beef and milk banned following Chris Packham complaint



Two ads promoting British beef and milk have been banned after television presenter and environmental campaigner Chris Packham complained that they misled consumers about the products’ carbon footprints.

Both ads for the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) Let’s Eat Balanced campaign used the carbon footprint of British beef and milk to promote the products, firstly stating: “British beef not only tastes great, but has a carbon footprint that’s half the global average*.”

The asterisk linked to text that stated: “Full lifecycle emissions of CO2 eq (carbon dioxide equivalent) per kg of beef.”

The ad for milk stated: “British milk not only tastes good, but is also produced to world-class standards, and has a carbon footprint a third lower than the global average.”

Packham complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that the ads, and specifically the carbon footprint claims, were misleading as they did not reflect the full environmental impact of British meat and dairy.

The AHDB said the ads’ mention of carbon emissions would be understood in relation to the environmental impact of beef and milk that occurred between the “cradle-to-retail” stages.

But the ASA said the average consumer “being reasonably well-informed, observant and circumspect” would understand the claims to apply beyond the retail stage and include actions such as cooking and wastage.

The ASA said: “While we acknowledged the potential difficulties in producing post-retail emissions data, the claims in the ads suggested those emissions were included and we therefore expected the evidence provided to also include them.

“We therefore concluded that the evidence presented was insufficient to support the full life-cycle claims in the ads, which was how the average consumer was likely to interpret them.

“We reminded AHDB that environmental claims should be based on the full life cycle unless the ad stated otherwise.”

AHDB’s director of communications and market development, Will Jackson, said: “Let’s Eat Balanced is doing what it was designed to do, providing clear, factual, evidence-led information about British food, nutrition and farming standards.

“Since the investigation began, we have conducted independent consumer research which found that the majority of respondents interpreted these adverts as relating to the production phase only, from farm to retail.

“This research provides important insight into consumer understanding and supports our belief that consumers were not misled by the information we shared in these two specific adverts.”



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Gen Z pros embrace ‘portfolio careers’ as side hustles surge – The Times of India

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Gen Z pros embrace ‘portfolio careers’ as side hustles surge – The Times of India


BENGALURU: India’s Gen Z workforce is embracing what experts describe as “portfolio careers” – balancing multiple professional identities and income streams simultaneously. New research from LinkedIn shows that 75% of Gen Z entrepreneurs in India now manage multiple income streams, significantly higher than the 62% among Gen X entrepreneurs. The findings point to a growing preference among younger professionals for flexibility, autonomy and diversified sources of income. “We’re also seeing the rise of the ‘portfolio era’, with more professionals creating multiple income streams and redefining what a career can look like. This shift is making entrepreneurship more accessible than ever before,” said LinkedIn India country manager Kumaresh Pattabiraman.Rather than depending on a single full-time role, many professionals are simultaneously building businesses, freelancing, consulting, creating online content and monetising specialised skills through digital platforms. The trend comes amid a broader rise in entrepreneurial activity in India. LinkedIn recorded a 104% year-on-year increase in members adding “Founder” to their profiles – the highest growth among all global markets.AI is also emerging as a major enabler of this shift. The report found that 85% of Gen Z entrepreneurs consider AI and digital tools important to their business operations.



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Elon Musk said control of OpenAI should go to his children, Sam Altman tells jury

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Elon Musk said control of OpenAI should go to his children, Sam Altman tells jury



Sam Altman said Elon Musk tried many times for total control of OpenAI, which he’s now suing.



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