NEW YORK — Spirit Airlines plans to shrink its fleet by nearly 100 aircraft and exit different U.S. markets as part of a sweeping restructuring under Chapter 11, CFO Scott Cramer said on Friday during a virtual meeting with creditors.
The low-cost carrier, which he said currently operates 214 aircraft, is using bankruptcy tools to eliminate unprofitable routes and reduce its network footprint.
The strategy is expected to save the company “hundreds of millions of dollars” in costs, he added.
On Tuesday, Gabe Monzo, executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority, announced Spirit will be halting the twice-weekly service from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., beginning in November. In its place, Spirit will begin two flights a week to Orlando.
The airport executive said the changes will come in November, although he couldn’t specify the exact date when that would happen.
That Spirit decided to add two trips every week to Orlando, home of the popular tourist attractions Disney World and Universal Studios theme parks, “is a big deal,” Monzo said.
Spirit’s decision to continue service through October will give passengers time to make different arrangements, if needed, Monzo noted.
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