Spirit and Delta Airlines flights taxi at Nashville International Airport in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, April 23, 2024.

Spirit Airlines, the budget-friendly airline that has experienced recent financial turmoil, is furloughing more than 1,000 flight attendants ahead of the holiday season.

This week, the company said it is making arrangements to furlough 1,800 out of 5,200 flight attendants to “align staffing with our fleet size and expected flight volume.” The plan to furlough 1,800 flight attendants will take effect by Dec. 1, 2025.

In an emailed statement to USA TODAY, the company said: "We recognize the impact of this decision on affected Team Members and we are committed to treating them with care and respect during this process."

Spirit must offer flight attendants voluntary furloughs first, before introducing involuntary furloughs, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the union representing Spirit Airlines flight attendants, said in a statement to USA TODAY.

After awarding the voluntary furlough, management will proceed with involuntary furloughs in inverse order of system seniority up to the 1,800 number, in accordance with flight attendant contracts, the union said.

On Monday, John Bendoraitis, the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Spirit Airlines, sent a memo to staff outlining the ongoing staffing changes. The memo has been reviewed by USA TODAY.

There are currently over 800 flights attendants on either voluntary time off or extended voluntary time off, the notice states. However, there is a limit to how many people can elect to go on leave, which is why the company is implementing the furlough, Bendoraitis said.

In an email sent out on Wednesday, Sept. 17, which has been reviewed by USA TODAY, Dave Davis, the company's CEO said Spirit Airlines would be working to reduce capacity by 25%.

Spirit Airlines has filed for bankruptcy twice since November 2024, with the most recent filing occurring in August.

In July, the airline announced plans to reduce staffing numbers as part of its restructuring to regain financial footing; however, those plans estimated a reduction of 270 pilots by Nov. 1 and did not apply to flight attendants.

The company is also trying other measures to save money, including exiting the following markets: Albuquerque, New Mexico (ABQ), Birmingham, Alabama (BHM), Boise, Idaho (BOI), Chattanooga, Tennessee (CHA), Columbia, South Carolina (CAE), Oakland, California (OAK), Portland, Oregon (PDX), Sacramento, California (SMF), Salt Lake City (SLC), San Diego (SAN) and San Jose, California (SJC).

The routes will stop on Oct. 2. The company had previously planned to launch a route in Macon, Georgia, in mid-October, but those plans have also been canceled.

In a June quarterly filing, the company reported a net loss of $246 million. While Spirit said it had success in satisfying debt obligations, it continued “to be affected by adverse market conditions, including elevated domestic capacity and continued weak demand for domestic leisure travel."

This story was updated to add new information.

Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Spirit Airlines plans to furlough one-third of its flight attendants

Reporting by Michelle Del Rey , USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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