Spirit Airlines Announces Leadership Change as CEO and CCO Depart

1 week ago 3

Ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines announced on Monday that its CEO Ted Christie would be leaving the company, effective immediately.

The airline, famous for its bare-bones fares and extra fees for everything from a carry-on to seat selection, has yet to appoint a permanent replacement, but said in a press release that three senior airline officials—including CFO Fred Cromer, COO John Bendoraitis, and General Counsel Thomas Canfield—would lead the company until a new CEO could be named.

Christie’s departure comes as Spirit is emerging from a four-month bankruptcy protection period, which started in November 2024. Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after operating at a loss for years and seeing an attempted merger with JetBlue was blocked.

Last year, the airline reported a net loss of $1.2 billion, according to Reuters.

Since the pandemic, consumer demand has shifted away from low-cost airlines and toward more full-service carriers, driven by a surge in premium travelers. In recent months, Spirit has been attempting to rebrand from a no-frills budget airline to a more premium carrier in an attempt to shore up its profitability—an effort that Christie appeared to be leading. Part of the airline’s new plan to attract higher spending flyers includes revamping its loyalty program and entering into airline alliances, according to Reuters. The airline also rejected a potential merger with budget carrier Frontier in February 2025.

"On behalf of the Board and the Spirit team, I thank Ted for his tireless efforts over the course of his 13 years at the Company,” Robert Milton, Chairman of Spirit Airlines, said in a release on Monday. “He has seen a lot and done a lot during his tenure here, including navigating the Company through the COVID crisis and multiple strategic junctures, as well as most recently, a corporate restructuring. Ted has kept the company together through challenging times, and for this we wish him all the best going forward."

The airline also announced on Monday that Matt Klein, Spirit’s Chief Commercial Officer, would also be departing the company. He will be immediately replaced by Rana Ghosh, who joined the airline in 2015 and was appointed Spirit’s Chief Transformation Officer in June 2024.

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