|
Custodian Update
Fellow Spirit ALPA Pilots,
This week, the Custodian Team is providing an update on several continuing items: the July 27 post-petition claims deadline, NJ WARN Act, 401(k) plan, UKG access, and soft-landings for Spirit pilots.
Post-Petition Claims Deadline
The Bankruptcy Court has set July 27, 2026, as the last day to file post-petition claims against Spirit. Post-petition claims cover any obligation for payment by Spirit that accrued or became payable on or after the August 29, 2025 date of Spirit’s most recent bankruptcy filing. ALPA will file a claim for anything pilots are owed under the collective bargaining agreement, and pilots need not do so. This will include grievances (MEC or individual grievances) for unpaid wages, bonuses required by the collective bargaining agreement, and accrued but unused benefits such as vacation and sick pay. ALPA will also be filing a claim for Spirit’s violation of the federal and New Jersey WARN Acts.
If you believe Spirit owes you for any claim under the contract that accrued or became payable on or after August 29, 2025, but you have not yet submitted it through the NCC process, please send an email to SpiritClaims@alpa.org immediately. Any outstanding claim or grievance must be timely within the limit set by the NCC process.
Note that if you have a claim against Spirit based on anything other than the collective bargaining agreement or the federal or New Jersey WARN Acts, such as employment discrimination, personal injury, or workers’ compensation claims, you will need to file your own claim by July 27. You may wish to hire a lawyer for such a claim and make the required filing with the court. ALPA’s claim will only cover amounts owed under the collective bargaining agreement and federal and New Jersey WARN Acts.
NJ WARN Act
The Custodian Team continues to monitor the NJ WARN issue for pilots who were based in LGA/EWR on May 2, 2026, the date of the shutdown. As previously communicated, Spirit acknowledged that a corrective payment is expected for some pilots. At this time, we do not have additional information regarding the timing or amount of those payments.
There is no need to send DARTs with what you believe you are owed. If additional information becomes available, the Custodian Team will provide an update.
401(k)
We have received the following update from Schwab outlining the remaining steps to terminate Pilot 401(k) accounts and the 401(k) plan.
- 198 Pilot participants still need pre-tax catch-up contributions classified to Roth and refunds processed.
- 321 Pilot participants are due refunds related to the final Spirit 401(k) plan non-discrimination testing and the decreased IRS contribution limits due to the short plan year in 2026. We expect these refunds will happen in waves throughout the next week.
- 147 Pilot 401(k) accounts are ready for termination. This group will see their termination date appear by the end of today, July 24, 2026.
Schwab is targeting all remaining terminations to be completed by July 31, 2026, but this is subject to change.
Please continue to check your own account and contact Schwab directly with questions regarding the plan termination. To the best of our knowledge, HR@spirit.com continues to be monitored.
UKG
Other than the instructions to attempt a UKG password reset shared in previous Custodian Updates, the Custodian Team has no ability to assist with UKG issues or facilitate a password reset. HR@spirit.com remains the only way to attempt to regain access.
Soft-Landings
We continue to hear from Spirit pilots who are finding new homes across the industry. The Custodian Team remains grateful for the support shown to our pilot group and continues to wish the best of luck to every member of the Spirit family as they move forward.
In Unity,
SPA Custodian Team
|