Spirit Airlines Warns of Financial Strain as Shares Slide Nearly 40%

Carrier cites weak demand, high costs and ongoing uncertainty following bankruptcy exit.

Spirit aircraft
Spirit aircraft [Credit: Spirit Airlines]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Spirit Airlines' stock plummeted 39% after warning of substantial doubt about its ability to continue operations beyond the next year.
  • The airline cites persistent weak domestic leisure travel demand and adverse market conditions despite recent restructuring efforts.
  • Cost-cutting measures, including pilot furloughs and job cuts, have been implemented, but further liquidity is needed.
  • Spirit is considering asset sales, such as aircraft and real estate, to secure additional funding.
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Spirit Aviation Holdings saw its shares plunge on Tuesday after the airline warned of “substantial doubt” about its ability to continue operations over the next year. Shares fell $1.39, or 39%, to $2.15 in early afternoon trading. The announcement came in the company’s quarterly report issued Monday, just five months after Spirit emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The Florida-based carrier pointed to persistent “adverse market conditions,” including ongoing weakness in domestic leisure travel demand, despite recent restructuring efforts. According to CBS News, Spirit reported that challenges and uncertainties in its operations are expected to last “at least the remainder of 2025.”

Spirit Airlines has made a series of cost-cutting moves since its bankruptcy exit in March, including plans announced in July to furlough 270 pilots and downgrade 140 captains to first officers starting in October and November. Those measures follow earlier job cuts made prior to the bankruptcy filing in November 2024.

The company said additional liquidity will be needed to sustain operations, with potential asset sales — including aircraft and real estate — under consideration. Spirit Airlines’ relatively young fleet has helped encourage takeover interest from rivals in the space, including from JetBlue and Frontier in the past. No deals managed to solidify.

Matt Ryan

Matt is AVweb's lead editor. His eyes have been turned to the sky for as long as he can remember. Now a fixed-wing pilot, instructor and aviation writer, Matt also leads and teaches a high school aviation program in the Dallas area. Beyond his lifelong obsession with aviation, Matt loves to travel and has lived in Greece, Czechia and Germany for studies and for work.

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Replies: 5

  1. Maybe SW can or will buy them.

  2. Someone should put the outfit out of its misery - fold it.

    Years of poor reputation and financial troubles.

  3. Has to be worth buying - such as for aircraft and facilities or even good staff to hire.

    I doubt it is.

  4. I speculate the best staff will already have moved on, unless their is some advantage such as where they live.

    One of the not-major airlines had revised its scheduling philosophy to minimize crew overnights away from their home town. But some F/As were not happy as they wanted the extra pay that was given for overnighting.

  5. I read that Allegiant Air staff are very unhappy with management.

    Allegiant has been around for at least two decades, emphasizing flying to Las Vegas from smaller cities but later also Florida destinations.

    The current downturn in Las Vegas will probably affect it.

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