A Spirit Airlines jet comes in for a landing at McCarran International Airport on May 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ethan Miller | Getty Images
Spirit Airlines plans to start training new pilots and flight attendants as early as next month, as the budget airline positions itself for a post-pandemic travel recovery.
“We are becoming a major tenant again,” CEO Ted Christie said Thursday. “The growth in the airline industry is a leisure activity, and we are that guest’s primary server.”
Christie said the airline plans to take on other roles this year as well. Spirit last trained a class of new pilots in May and new flight attendants last February, a spokesman said.
The carrier did not want to say how many employees he wants to add this year. It ended last year with 8,756 employees, including 2,497 pilots and 4,028 flight attendants, according to a securities filing.
The airline is also recalling some workers who have taken time off, programs that have helped prevent involuntary leave of union workers, who make up the bulk of the workforce. Some of those workers, such as pilots, will also have to meet federally mandated training requirements before returning to the job.
“Our training footprint can only handle so much, so it needs to be phased,” said Christie of the company’s recruiting plans.
Spirit lost $ 428.7 million in 2020, the first annual net loss since at least 2007, according to data from FactSet. US airlines lost more than $ 34 billion in the pandemic last year, which executives call the worst crisis ever.
Spirit now, like others, hopes that the introduction of vaccines will contribute to a revival of air traffic. The airline expects to be back to 2019 capacity levels by mid-year.
“The use of vaccines, lowering the total number of Covid cases, should lead to more confidence from the traveling public and a relaxation of restrictions,” said Christie.
The turnaround takes time.
Spirit and other airlines saw demand weaker than expected as Covid cases increased in late last year and early 2021, as well as a slow start to vaccine distribution. New travel restrictions, such as the Covid test requirements for international flights to the US, are also hurting bookings.
Cowen & Co. aviation analyst Helane Becker predicts Spirit earnings will decline 46% in the first quarter compared to pre-pandemic levels and estimate greater loss per share in 2021 than previously expected, in part as a result higher costs associated with preparing activities for growth during the recovery. “
Shares of Spirit fell more than 8% to $ 30.01 Thursday, but the stock price is still up nearly 23% this year, more than most US carriers.
On Thursday evening, the House Financial Services Committee proposed $ 14 billion in additional federal wage support for airlines, which had already received $ 40 billion from the government during the pandemic to pay workers. The new round of support requires airlines to keep employees through September 30 and is part of the Biden government’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.
Unions, American Airlines and United Airlines have backed another round of aid as the threat of new leave looms for up to 27,000 workers if the current package runs out after March 31.
When asked if he supports additional assistance even though the airline is recruiting, Christie said, “Our industry must be fair in all cases, so there cannot be selective support. then I think it is to be expected that all airlines are a beneficiary there. “