Spirit Airlines sells planes and calls on charter flight attendants

Spirit Airlines, which is trying to emerge from its second bankruptcy in less than a year, has sold 20 more Airbus planes and is bringing flight attendants back from furlough.

The sale of the 20 planes, most of which are not yet in service, comes as Spirit tries to stabilize after years of financial struggles that sent executives fighting to keep the carrier alive.

“At this time, natural attrition and voluntary actions provide the flexibility to right-size our staffing levels for both pilots and flight attendants,” John Bendoritis, Spirit’s chief operating officer, said in a memo to employees Wednesday night.

The sales bring Spirit’s fleet to 94 aircraft, and are consistent with our plan to focus on our strongest routes and most efficient fleet, Benduraitis said. He said the planes would be phased out starting in April.

Deal talks with investment firm Castlelake and fellow budget carrier Frontier Airlines have not yielded an agreement that would give Spirit a path forward, though the airline could formulate a plan on its own.

The Dania Beach, Florida-based carrier is also recalling 500 flight attendants back from vacation, just as it prepares for the spring break travel season.

“Reforming this airline is a joint effort,” Benduraitis said. “There is a lot at this moment that crews cannot control, but we need to continue to give us the foundation for a robust operation.”

Spirit has downsized its network and fleet and furloughed more than 1,300 flight attendants and hundreds of pilots to save money.

“This is good news for 500 flight attendants and their families, and crucial for those of us on the line who have faced an arduous process over the past two months,” the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA said in a letter to members on Wednesday. “The company’s goal in recalling flight attendants is to alleviate some of the operational issues since the holidays.”