Spirit Airlines will pull out of 11 cities early next month as the airline downsizes as part of its effort to remain solvent.
Effective the week of Oct. 2, the discount carrier will discontinue service in Albuquerque, N.M.; Birmingham, Ala.; Boise, Idaho; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Columbia, S.C.; Portland, Ore.; Salt Lake City; and Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego and San Jose, Calif.
Spirit has also canceled plans to begin serving Macon, Ga., on Oct. 16. The carrier had planned to enter Macon with twice-weekly service from its home base of Fort Lauderdale.
"As part of our efforts to transform our business and position Spirit for long-term success, we are adjusting our network to focus on our strongest performing markets," Spirit said of its downsizing.
The airline said it will reach out to customers with affected reservations to notify them of their options, including refunds.
On Aug. 29, Spirit re-entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy after a restructuring that ended in March failed to put the company on solid financial footing. Downsizing will be part of the reorganization. Based on comments from Spirit management, Deutsche Bank investment analyst Michael Linenberg estimates that the airline will reduce its active fleet of 157 aircraft by approximately 50 during the Chapter 11 process.
Other airlines have begun adding competition on Spirit routes, both to hasten the airline's demise and to positions themselves to backfill service when Spirit exits markets.
On Wednesday, United announced new or added service on 18 routes served by Spirit, including some to be canceled by the airline in its upcoming scaleback.
Frontier announced last week that it will enter 18 routes that Spirit serves.