Spirit Airlines shutdown forces thousands of US employees to reset careers

The abrupt shutdown of Spirit Airlines in early May has thrown thousands of employees into career uncertainty, forcing them to scramble for new jobs in an industry with a slow rehiring process.

Travis Arcamone, who was named flight attendant of the year at Spirit's Orlando base just a month before the company's second bankruptcy led to its collapse, is now working as a car salesman. He is among the many Spirit employees facing a challenging job market. Airlines often have set annual hiring targets and have already recruited for the busy summer travel season, making it difficult for displaced workers to find immediate openings.

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, estimates that it could take four to five months for several hundred of Spirit's 3,500 flight attendants to secure positions at other airlines, even in a best-case scenario. The broader airline industry is also navigating capacity cuts due to rising jet fuel costs while planning for long-term expansion.

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My nearly decade of experience at Spirit might help me get a job somewhere else, but it means absolutely nothing when it comes to how good that job will be when I walk in the door.

For pilots and flight attendants, the transition to a new airline often means forfeiting accumulated seniority and starting at the lowest pay scale. This also impacts flexibility regarding schedules and base locations. "My nearly decade of experience at Spirit might help me get a job somewhere else, but it means absolutely nothing when it comes to how good that job will be when I walk in the door," a laid-off Spirit pilot told Reuters anonymously.

Adding to the turmoil, former Spirit workers have filed a class-action lawsuit alleging the carrier failed to provide adequate layoff notice. They are seeking 60 days of pay and benefits for approximately 17,000 employees. Spirit has until mid-July to respond, though a company lawyer indicated in court that the airline provided notice as soon as it could.

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I’ll be a peer to someone who has never flown a jet before.