April 18, 2025 — DANIA BEACH, FL
Spirit Airlines is entering a high-stakes chapter. Just weeks after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the low-cost carrier has named Dave Davis as its new President and CEO, effective April 21, 2025.
The move signals a deliberate pivot—from financial triage to long-term transformation. For Spirit, this is more than just a leadership change; it is a formal reset for a carrier looking to reinvent itself in a fiercely competitive aviation market.
Executive Summary
- Spirit Airlines has appointed Dave Davis, former President and CFO of Sun Country Airlines, as its new CEO.
- The announcement follows Spirit’s emergence from bankruptcy in March 2025 and its decision to reject merger offers.
- Davis joins with a mandate to reposition the carrier, not as an ultra-low-cost outlier, but as a sustainable, value-driven airline with improved customer experience.
- The leadership transition is part of a broader organizational realignment as Spirit distances itself from merger instability and refocuses on core performance.
Leadership Transition Amid Strategic Inflection
Spirit’s appointment of Dave Davis comes at a time of structural recalibration. The former CEO, Ted Christie, stepped down on April 7, 2025, after over a decade with the airline. Since then, Spirit has been led by an interim office consisting of CFO Fred Cromer, COO John Bendoraitis, and General Counsel Thomas Canfield.
Davis brings a history of crisis-tested leadership.
At Sun Country Airlines, he helped manage operational complexity across passenger, charter, and cargo verticals. Earlier, he served as CFO at Northwest Airlines, guiding the company through major industry headwinds before its merger with Delta.
Spirit’s Path to Recovery
Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2024, citing mounting debt, rising operating costs, and failed merger attempts.
The most prominent of these—an acquisition proposal by JetBlue Airways—was blocked by a U.S. federal judge on antitrust grounds. Spirit’s board rejected a subsequent approach from Frontier Group Holdings in early 2025.
The airline emerged from bankruptcy in March 2025, backed by a $350 million equity infusion from new investors and a plan to reestablish itself as a standalone carrier. With debt restructured and equity reset, the strategic focus is now on improving yield, rebalancing its network, and rebuilding customer trust.
Davis’s Mandate: A Controlled Repositioning
In the official statement, Chairman Robert Milton described Davis as uniquely suited for Spirit’s current trajectory:
“Dave’s background at Northwest Airlines and Sun Country positions him well to lead Spirit’s continued transformation.”
Davis echoed the sentiment in his first remarks:
“I am thrilled to join Spirit at this critical time in the company’s history. I look forward to working with more than 11,000 team members to deliver value to our guests, shareholders, and communities.”
Davis’s leadership will likely be measured on two axes:
- Operational resilience: Restoring confidence in Spirit’s reliability, efficiency, and core cost structure
- Brand evolution: Transitioning from “no-frills” to a more upscale offering without diluting low-cost DNA
Strategic Staffing: Surrounding Davis with Experience
To reinforce the reset, Spirit has appointed two industry veterans to its executive team:
- As SVP of Corporate Communications, Duncan Dee is responsible for internal and external messaging. A former COO of Air Canada, Dee is a familiar voice in North American aviation policy.
- Trey Urbahn as Senior Commercial Advisor, supporting pricing, yield management, and product strategy. His resume includes roles at JetBlue, TAP Air Portugal, Etihad, Azul, and Breeze.
These additions signal Spirit’s focus on both brand repositioning and commercial rigor.
Market Reaction & Competitive Pressure
The announcement triggered volatility across the sector. Shares of Sun Country Airlines, where Davis served until the day of his appointment, fell by 8.4%, reflecting investor uncertainty over the leadership vacuum.
Meanwhile, larger carriers like Delta, American, and Southwest are doubling down on their budget-friendly fare classes, compressing Spirit’s margin for differentiation.
Davis inherits a company with significant operational exposure and reputational baggage—but also one with cost advantages that could be sharpened, not scrapped.
VoyageWire Take: Can Davis Deliver a Controlled Comeback?
Spirit’s board has placed a bet: that an airline historically known for low fares and high complaints can be transformed, without chasing unsustainable growth or risky mergers. That requires:
- A clear brand recalibration strategy
- Balanced network optimization
- Tactical fleet and labor cost control
- Measurable improvement in customer experience
Davis is not tasked with revolution. He is tasked with controlled execution.
The challenge will be whether Spirit can redefine “low-cost” in 2025 and whether Davis can deliver operational credibility to a brand still recovering from turbulence.
