More Travel Disruptions Predicted For Future Travelers on Spirit Airlines
Just weeks ago, we here at MickeyBlog were talking about the major travel disruptions at Spirit Airlines which left many travelers arriving or departing from Orlando International Airport stranded and disappointed.
Today, a new report in the Orlando Business Journal suggests that troubles for the budget airline may be far from over.
Spirit has just reported that labor shortages coupled with severe storms has cost the company in excess of $50 million in the first to weeks of this month alone! This figure was given during the company’s recent third quarter earnings report.
During the investors call, the company went on to say that they expect long term effects due to these losses and labor issues and that the only way to recoup is to cancel additional planned flights over the next few months.
Source: Fortune
This news is definitely something that those planning a trip to Florida will want to take note of. As the Business Journal reminds us, Spirit is Orlando’s second busiest airline.. Last year Spirit was responsible for 3.39 million passengers flying in or out of MCO.
The Orlando Business Journal attributes some of the staffing issues to the fact that the company had to let about 100 employees on furlough last Fall. Spirit, along with many other companies in the travel industry are finding that they have lost staff members to other jobs by the time they are ready to bring them back to work.
Additional rumors have been surfacing that a pilot strike last month was to blame for the over 2,800 flights cancelled at the end of July and beginning of August. Spirit has denied this however, the dates of the reported strike coincide with the dates that operations with the airline ground to a standstill.
In a letter to Investors Spirit CEO Ted Christie said of the staffing and scheduling problems, “We believe the interruption was a singular event driven by an unprecedented confluence of factors and does not reflect systemic issues.” However, it does serve as a caution given the airlines recent troubles for guests to keep up on flight schedules and the airline in general if flying with Spirit in the weeks and months ahead.
Photo: AP Photo/John Raoux
It should also be noted that Spirit isn’t the only airline struggling with staffing and other operational issues. As we previously reported here at MickeyBlog, American Airlines had to cancel in excess of 3,000 flights earlier this month with storms in Dallas being a contributing factor. The schedules are so tightly coordinated that a setback at one airport can have a knock-on effect to countless other airports and routes.
We know that many of our Disney visitors do prefer to fly on budget airlines like Spirit. For that reason, this is a story that we will continue to follow closely. Readers are encouraged to keep checking in with us for further news and updates. We also recommend that you check out the Orlando Business Journal article here.
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Source: Orlando Business Journal
