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Spirit Airlines has announced plans to furlough 365 pilots and downgrade up to 170 others in early 2026 as part of its restructuring and cost-cutting strategy. The carrier has entered bankruptcy for the second time in a year. It plans to reduce pilot-related expenses by $100 million to preserve cash reserves after the financial crisis as reported by Reuters. Spirit Airlines Layoffs In Motion? The company stated that these measures are part of its previously announced plans to scale down capacity and operate a smaller fleet. Chief Operating Officer John Bendoraitis noted in a memo that voluntary attrition could reduce the total number of furloughs and a formal bid process to begin in late November. Spirit currently has around 2400 pilots. It has already furloughed about 330 pilots and will add another 270 to that list in November. Additionally the airline plans to furlough around 1800 flight attendants and one-third of its cabin crew by December 1. Major Crisis In Spirit Airlines Further cuts are expected across corporate departments and maintenance stations with closures planned for Baltimore and Chicago facilities from January 1 2026. According to filings these workforce reductions could generate $211 million in savings.  The carrier which expects to log $804 million in net losses for 2025 may return to profitability by 2027 through a transformative restructuring plan that includes network downsizing in 2026.