Summary
- Spirit Airlines has announced the suspension of coaching for brand spanking new pilots and flight attendants attributable to lower demand and the necessity to match crew size with aircraft.
- The airline’s disappointing third-quarter results, including a net operating lack of $157.6 million, were attributed to softer demand and better fuel prices.
- Engine problems with its A320neo fleet have prompted Spirit Airlines to remove 10 aircraft from service and anticipate a flat rate of capability through 2024.
US low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines has sent a memo to its inflight crew members announcing the airline will suspend training for brand spanking new pilots and flight attendants indefinitely starting next month, in line with a CNBC report. The airline on Thursday posted what it called a “” for its third-quarter results.
In its memo to flight crew, Spirit Airlines said that it desired to make sure that its crew size matched its needs based on aircraft and was already taking measures to regulate to lower demand.
Over the third quarter, the airline took delivery of three recent A320neo aircraft and five recent A321neo aircraft while retiring 4 A319ceo aircraft, ending the quarter with 202 aircraft in its fleet. The airline moreover anticipates removing ten of its A320neo fleet from service to examine a known flaw with powdered metal inside its Pratt & Whitney 1100G engines.
Photo: Spirit Airlines
Disappointing third-quarter results collected with a net operating lack of $157.6 million, stemming from softer demand and better fuel prices. During its third quarter earnings call, Spirit President and CEO Ted Christie reiterated the corporate’s desire to merge with low-cost carrier JetBlue, describing the merger as “.”
The merger, nonetheless, has been blocked by litigation, which was delayed, with a trial not expected to start until the top of October because the US Justice Department hopes to dam Jetblue’s acquisition of Spirit since it could hurt competition between US airlines.
Spirit Airlines training
Spirit Airlines’ pilot pipeline has been expanding with agreements with universities and flight schools as recently as last month when Virginia-based Liberty University announced a partnership to change into the tenth flight school to hitch the Spirit Wings Pilot Pathway program, which fast tracks airline transport certificated pilots into jobs with the airline.
Spirit Airlines. In 2022, Spirit signed with ATP flight school, utilizing ATP’s recently opened Fort Myers (FMY) training center to supply direct hire opportunities for ATP students.
Photo: Spirit Airlines
As of October twenty seventh, Spirit Airlines doesn’t list any openings for pilots or flight attendants. Still, the airline continues to hunt flight instructors for its training bases in Miramar, Florida, and Las Vegas, Nevada, on its website.
While currently headquartered in Miramar, Spirit Airlines previously broke ground on a brand new headquarters in Dania Beach, Florida that will house a training facility equipped with full motion simulators and staffed by greater than 1,000 full-time employees.
Spirit Airlines Fleet
While Spirit Airlines has put a pause on training of latest flight crew, the airline has also moved for delays in its recent aircraft delivery timeline. While the airline said that it had low demand, throughout the airline’s most up-to-date earnings call, Spirit Airlines said that it had an aircraft load factor of 81.4%.
With engine problems persisting in future aircraft deliveries, the airline anticipates a flat rate of capability through 2024. The airline also indicated that the typical variety of grounded A320neo family aircraft will climb to 41 by December 2024.
In line with ch-aviation data, Spirit Airlines has 90 Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft which can be powered by the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G, also generally known as the Geared Turbofan (GTF). Out of those, 10 are either stored or in maintenance.
This month, Spirit Airlines has announced cuts in routes from Orlando (MCO) while also launching additional service from Ft. Meyers.