Embattled LCC Spirit Airlines has furloughed around 1,800 flight attendants, roughly equal to around a third of the workforce.

Many more have taken time off, or extended time off as the Texas-based airline struggles to make its way through the second Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in as many years.

READ: Court allows Spirit Airlines to continue operations through Chapter 11

“As we work to return Spirit to profitability, we face difficult decisions about out fleet, our network and ultimately our workforce,” Spirit COO John Bendoraitis is reported to have said in an all-hands email.

The Florida-based LCC has endured a torrid period. Apart from the two Chapter 11 proceedings, the airline was forced by regulators to call off a merger with JetBlue and has witnessed a steep decline in passenger numbers.

Data from IBA Insight’s ‘Airlines Insights’ platform, found that Spirit’s EBIT margin (rolling last four quarters) declined more steeply than any other US low-cost carrier (LCC), plummeting from around -10% in Q4-22 to below -30% by Q2-25.

Intelligence from IBA found that the airline’s fleet and route strategies offered limited relief as Spirit scaled back to its most profitable routes, reducing network connectivity and undermining its product proposition.