Spirit to avoid pilot furloughs on Oct. 1; Delta warns of pilot job cuts

The ULCC’s pilots agree to work fewer hours to save jobs.

Florida-based ULCC Spirit Airlines will avoid pilot furloughs when the US government’s payroll support for US airlines expires on Sept. 30.

According to the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents Spirit’s pilots, an agreement was reached with management “to save hundreds of the airline’s pilots from furlough,” adding: “Nearly half of the more than 2,500 Spirit pilots have agreed to temporarily work fewer hours each month to prevent 800 pilots from being furloughed beginning Oct. 1.”

The news of the agreement comes as American Airlines warned 19,000 employees of furloughs on Oct. 1 and Delta Air Lines warned nearly 2,000 pilots of furloughs absent an extension of federal assistance from the US government.

Delta’s ALPA Master Executive Council said it was “extremely disappointed that management has chosen to furlough 1,941 pilots effective October 1.”