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Spirt to layoff

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the other thread

the other thread is a bunch of crap. this deserves to be separate. It is official. I saw it on the local news down here in Florida.

Is there gonna be any airlines left by the fall?
 
the other thread is a bunch of crap. this deserves to be separate. It is official. I saw it on the local news down here in Florida.

Is there gonna be any airlines left by the fall?

It's on the news, it must be true!!!


Spirit Airlines President Says No Layoffs Planned

POSTED: 3:19 pm EDT June 3, 2008
UPDATED: 8:48 pm EDT June 3, 2008


MIAMI -- The president of Spirit Airlines said Tuesday the carrier has no plans for layoffs, despite reports that implied it is laying off half of its employees.

According to letters released Tuesday by union leaders, the airline may lay off or move up to 60 percent of its flight attendants and 45 percent of its pilots in an effort to cut costs and deal with soaring fuel prices.

The Miramar-based discount carrier wrote in the notification letters that it plans to close its hubs in New York's LaGuardia Airport and San Juan, Puerto Rico, and shrink its main Fort Lauderdale hub by Aug. 1. The airline is also closing its Detroit hub for flight attendants, according to the letters.


Spirit told NBC 6 no layoffs are planned. The airline's hub will stay in Fort Lauderdale, but the carrier may relocate crews to different cities to save money.

The letters, required by law under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, were sent out Friday by Jeff Carlson, the airline's vice president of flight operations. Carlson wrote in the letters that the airline will furlough or displace up to 448 flight attendants and 242 pilots.

"It's kind of unfortunate that it got put out that way," said Spirit President and CEO Ben Baldanza.

He said the letters began as a precaution to keep the airline alive and then became a rumor that the carrier was dying.

"The Spirit management team, the owners of Spirit and all of the employees of Spirit are completely committed to working through a very tough economic environment with high fuel prices, doing what it takes to keep the airline stable, solid and growing over time, and that's exactly what we're all here to do 24-7," he said.

Baldanza said the airline will not raise airfares and has no plans to cut any routes. He said the carrier is even adding new destinations.

"If we make the actual decision to shrink at all -- to reduce one frequency on one route or return some airplanes or do anything -- if we made that decision, which we have not made yet, we would absolutely talk to all the employees affected directly about that change and what that meant for them," he said.

But the letters sparked concern from the pilot and flight attendants unions.
 

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