Spirit Airlines Refocuses on Fort Lauderdale, Plans Network Overhaul

Spirit Airlines, undergoing a prearranged Chapter 11 restructuring, has announced plans to significantly realign its network, focusing on core markets like Fort Lauderdale International. The low-cost carrier aims to redeploy 20 to 30 aircraft to high-demand cities while cutting underperforming routes.

Fort Lauderdale, Spirit’s largest market with an 11.8% share of its weekly departures, will serve as the initial focus market. The airline plans to strengthen its presence in “value-seeking mid-sized cities” to increase its pricing power and capture a 50% market share in targeted regions. Currently, Spirit holds a 28.4% share in Fort Lauderdale, compared to 13.3% in Las Vegas Harry Reid and 12.1% in Orlando International.

The network adjustment will include increased seasonal and “less than daily” flights to optimize capacity during peak demand while avoiding low-season losses. Spirit also plans to eliminate unproductive markets and emphasize “out-and-back” rotations, where crews start and end shifts in the same city, to minimize operational disruptions.

In its Chapter 11 filings, Spirit disclosed strong bondholder support for its restructuring plan, with 78.6% of its 8.00% senior secured noteholders and 84.1% of convertible senior noteholders approving the terms. The plan includes $300 million in debtor-in-possession funding and a $350 million equity raise upon exiting Chapter 11.

The reorganization will cancel existing equity and issue new senior secured notes worth $840 million to current creditors. Following this announcement, Spirit’s stock was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange, and trading was immediately suspended.

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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com