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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.”
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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The BSE Sensex is trading higher by 371 points, or 0.47%, at 81,090.24, while the NSE Nifty rises by 70 points to trade above 24,850 at 24,889.25.
Stock Market Today.
Market Updates Today: A day after the market crash following the Budget’s provision to hike Securities Transaction Tax (STT), the domestic equity market on Monday saw heightened volatility. After opening nearly flat, the NSE Nifty rose to the day’s high, then touched the day’s low before sharply recovering to trade at the day’s high of 25,093.
As of 3:16 pm, the BSE Sensex surged by 932 points, or up 1.13%, to 81,641.87 in the afternoon trade and the NSE Nifty rose by 267 points, or up 1.07%, to trade above 25,000 at 25,093.27. After opening nearly flat, the NSE Nifty rose to the day’s high, then touched the day’s low before sharply recovering to trade at the day’s high of 25,093.27.
Among the 30 Sensex shares, 25 stocks were trading in the green. Among the top gainers were PowerGrid, Adani Ports, BEL, Reliance, Mahindra & Mahindra, Larsen & Toubro, and IndiGo, rising by up to 7.91%. The laggards were Axis Bank, Infosys, Titan, TCS, and Trent, falling by up to 1.97%.
After opening nearly flat, at around 9:30 am, the BSE Sensex jumped by 350 points to 81,112.03 in the opening trade, while the NSE Nifty rose 91 points to trade above the 24,900 level at 24,910.85. However, the benchmarks gave up all gains and declined to day’s low amid heavy volatility.
Aakash Shah, technical research analyst at Choice Equity Broking Private Ltd, said, “Near-term sentiment remains cautious despite some support from domestic technical indicators. The broader market direction will largely be influenced by global equity cues, crude oil price movements, and institutional fund flows.”
On Sunday, the Nifty saw an aggressive sell-off after the Budget 2026 announcement to hike STT, plunging nearly 870 points from 25,440 to an intraday low of 24,571, before staging a partial recovery to close at 24,825.
“A strong bearish candle was formed, with the index closing decisively below the 200-day EMA, indicating a deterioration in trend strength. Immediate resistance is placed at 24,950–25,000, while key support lies in the 24,650-24,700 zone. The RSI slipped to 31, reflecting oversold conditions, while India VIX surged 10.73% to 15.09, highlighting elevated market volatility,” Shah said.
On Sunday, February 1, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 588 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) also remained net sellers, offloading shares worth Rs 682 crore, adding to the pressure on the market.
V K Vijayakumar, chief investment strategist at Geojit Investments Ltd, said, “Yesterday’s market selloff resulting in 495 point crash in Nifty was a knee-jerk reaction to the sharp increase in STT on F&O trades. This was not a revenue-raising measure, but a decision to discourage retail traders from complex F&O trading, in which 92% of them were losing money. This decision is in the interest of retail investors. But this decision impacted the market sentiments, which were already impacted by the decision to make no changes in the LTCGs tax, which a section of the market was expecting rather unrealistically.”
It is important to understand that the Budget is a growth-oriented Budget with fiscal prudence. The 10% nominal GDP growth projected in the Budget is achievable and has the potential to deliver around 15% earnings growth in FY27. The market will soon start discounting this positive. But it is possible that FIIs may continue to sell impacting the market. Retail investors should keep their cool and remain invested and continue to invest systematically. A significant upturn in the market may take time; perhaps a retreat from AI trade globally. We don’t know when this will happen. But we know that an earnings rebound is imminent in response to this growth oriented Budget. That is a clear positive, he added.
February 02, 2026, 09:34 IST
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