(Reuters) – Spirit Airlines Inc will cut back on flights in the coming months in a bid to avoid any weather-related disruptions as airlines struggle to meet a spike in demand, the Wall Street Journal reported https://www.wsj.com/articles/spirit-cuts-some-spring-summer-flights-to-head-off-disruptions-11650384012 on Tuesday.
The move aligns Spirit with carries like JetBlue Airways and Alaska Air Group, which have announced cuts to their summer schedule to avert flight disruptions.
U.S. airlines are enjoying the strongest travel demand in three years as people take to the skies with an easing of the COVID-19 pandemic. Passenger traffic has been averaging about 89% of the pre-pandemic levels since mid-February, according to official data.
But Spirit, which has received buyout offers from JetBlue and Frontier Group Holdings, has struggled with weather-related issues and was forced to cancel more than a third of its flights on April 4.
The Journal report said the low-cast airline plans to reduce flying by 5% to 6% in June after making smaller adjustments in April and May. Spirit will carry its new June schedule through August 9, the report added.
The carrier did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
(Reporting by Kannaki Deka in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni)
