Spirit Airlines will close Atlantic City airport crew base in September, but flights will continue

Spirit Airlines plans to shut down its crew base at Atlantic City International Airport in the fall, but service at the airport will continue.

The crew hub, which serves as a home base for 157 Spirit pilots and flight attendants, will close Sept. 1. Its closure was a “difficult” decision, necessitated in part by a decrease in flights scheduled from Atlantic City in the last several years, a Spirit Airlines spokesperson said.

On average, Spirit Airlines sees eight to 10 departures from Atlantic City a day, depending on the season, and about half of the flights travel to Florida.

But despite the impending crew base closure, the company still plans to service ACY as usual. Spirit is the airport’s only carrier, aside from American Airlines, which allows passengers to go through the security process in Atlantic City and take a bus to Philadelphia International Airport for their flight.

“Scheduled service at ACY will continue to operate as planned now and in the future,” the Spirit spokesperson said. “ACY has been a great partner of ours as we’ve served the community for over 30 years, and we look forward to continuing to serve ACY and our guests who love the convenience and affordability of our service for many years to come.”

It was not immediately clear how staff from the Atlantic City crew base location would be impacted. However, CNBC reported that staff members will be reassigned, and Spirit Airlines’ Association of Flight Attendants told members in a statement this week that there was “no plan” for flight attendant furloughs.

With the closure months away, the company said it was evaluating plans to open a new crew base somewhere in the Northeast that would “provide coverage from one of our larger cities.” No plans have yet been announced.

The crew base closure also stems from a shortage of Pratt & Whitney engines, which has caused Spirit to ground many of its aircraft. The company recently reached a compensation agreement with Pratt & Whitney that would “improve Spirit’s liquidity” by up to $200 million, the company previously announced.

And earlier this week, Spirit Airlines announced that it would furlough 260 pilots by September, and defer new plane orders from aircraft manufacturer Airbus by several years. Those moves are designed to save the company more than $340 million in the next two years, aiding the ailing airline, which has faced financial struggles since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Deferring these aircraft gives us the opportunity to reset the business and focus on the core airline while we adjust to changes in the competitive environment,” Spirit president and CEO Ted Christie said in a statement. “In addition, enhancing our liquidity provides us additional financial stability as we position the Company for a return to profitability.”