Spirit Airlines CEO on mass flight cancellations: ‘Not our proudest moment’

Spirit Airlines CEO Ted Christie on Thursday said flight cancellations across the country that have sparked outrage and negative headlines are not the company’s “proudest moment.”

“We’ve worked hard really over the last five years at both building Spirit and building its reputation,’’ Christie said, according to USA Today. “I think we’ve made tremendous strides. This is not our proudest moment and we know that.”

Spirit Airlines canceled over 1,700 flights this week, saying it faced a pilot shortage. The airline canceled multiple flights from Sunday until Thursday, canceling more than 60 percent of its scheduled flights on Tuesday and Wednesday and about 56 percent of its flights on Thursday alone.

Christie told the news outlet the cancellations also came as a result of flight crews being displaced across the country and that it would take time for them to return to position.

He also added that issues with scheduling and flight crews running out of eligible hours to work “tipped us over.”

“The puzzle ended up getting very complex,” Christie said, adding that cancellations will continue over the next few days, but are to be reduced by next week.

On Friday, the airline had already canceled 225 flights, USA Today reported.

Spirit is reportedly aiding customers in rebooking their flights with other airlines and covering stranded passengers’ hotel costs as well as providing some with $50 vouchers for future flights.

“The intent is to give people something they can use on us in the future,” Christie told USA Today.