Spirit Air - be honest with me!

[17th Hole]

Thought I'd share an interesting article about this. I also found some of the comments under the article enlightening - some not so much.

Anyway, if you got a minute:

http://blog.seattlepi.com/worldairlinen ... 211159.asp

[jmhouse]

From what I understand of how pilot's employment works, pilots cannot just leave their jobs to go work at another airline without taking a huge pay cut. The time you put in with an airline basically only counts for that airline. If I'm a pilot and I start flying for Spirit, my salary at Spirit starts as a 1st year pilot. After 10 years, I have the salary of a "10-year" pilot. If I leave Spirit and go be a pilot for Delta, I start again at Delta with a first-year pilot's salary. I'm sure there's probably more to it than that, but that's the basic problem the pilots face.

Yeah I figured it was something like that, but their past flying experience has to count for something if they switch airlines. All my experience is in the corporate software engineering world so I'm sure it's a lot different with airlines. It just sucks that when they're negotiating stuff it affects a ton of people while if people in other industries are negotiating, nothing gets interrupted. I hope they resolve their differences soon.

[Lulu76]

Well, the whole point of a strike is to affect the bottom line of the company and inconvenience them until they realize you're indispensable and meet your demands. We just don't notice that much anymore because a lot of times companies bring in "temporary workers" to cover the slack and keep running. I don't imagine there's just a pool of trained pilots out there sitting around with no jobs to do that here. (Although Northwest was "business as usual" during their strike a few years ago.) It actually works better (not for the passengers affected, unfortunately) when the world comes to a grinding halt because the company is losing so much money that they want to find a speedy resolution.

I don't think it will be a long strike. Spirit can't afford that. It just sucks for the people who have already missed their flights.

[Jimm]

jjshaw...

I am wondering if it was your only recourse to accept only credit with Spirit as a "refund" with a $100 inconvience fee thrown in for good measure? Did they offer the option to refund to your original form of payment so that you could rebook with another carrier?

When the strike first started their website stated if you would like a full refund to contact a certain number. Now they have changed it to just read a flight credit will be issued, which expires after one year.

[JJShaw]

jjshaw...

I am wondering if it was your only recourse to accept only credit with Spirit as a "refund" with a $100 inconvience fee thrown in for good measure? Did they offer the option to refund to your original form of payment so that you could rebook with another carrier?

They did offer a refund or take a credit with the credit I got 100 voucher for each ticket...but as far as getting a refund and rebooking...the tickets were gonna be about...well at last check about 1000+ each...we paid 510.00 for 2..and 588 for the other 2...my mom paid about 430.( she bought hers after we did)..Infact they were all purchased seperately. So buying more would more than double our costs...and we only had 6 days planned...so if we wait...we can stay longer..and fly for alot less than what it would cost me to rebook at the last minute...

[Lulu76]

I would like to say, I just read what Spirit is offering their pilots, and I am not sure why they are on strike. I believe in strikes, but really I think that the compensation package they've been offered sounds pretty fair. For example, a 30% pay raise over 5 years and bigger 401k match. I don't know about everyone else here, but I have gotten one cost of living increase since the economy tanked and they keep threatening our 401k match. If my boss offered me those two things alone, I'd be happy.

[Jimm]

I just heard that the union and Spirit management are suppose to meet again today.

[lsugolfer]

I think that the compensation package they've been offered sounds pretty fair.

When your being paid less than your competitors, and the new compensation package is still less than your competitors. There's something to be said.

Granted, I'm as anti-union as they come and not a single one of those pilots was forced to work there, but in the collective bargaining world the pilots do have an argument here.

[BOATSRUS]

Here'e another viewpoint from a guy I was lucky enough to know....I got out of this business because I saw the writing on the wall...it's a thankless job until you're called upon to bring all your training and experience to the plate in a matter of seconds for every type of emergency you can imagine in your worst dreams... I'm certainly not a big union fan... but when you wake up one day and see your pension that you had worked your ass off for 30 years just vaporize to the tune of several million dollars...after you have made pay, work and benefit concessions for the previous 20 consecutive years....it leaves a bad taste in your mouth...that's coroporate America for ya...just sayin"........OK,....I'm done venting down...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/2 ... 69512.html

[Berlingirl]

Interesting article. Sully certainly was a hero when he landed that plane in the Hudson and nobody had a scratch on them.

Taking the Huffington Post spin into perspective, many people have lost pensions, jobs and dreams of ever retiring period. Not only airline pilots have reduced benefits. The airlines used to be where the glamorous jobs were. Major airline pilots and flight attendents had it good for decades. Bring about deregulation and we've seen it go steadlily down. Being in the business where I came to know a few, many who retired a number of years ago are glad they did. Great benefits and young enough to start new careers.

I don't believe that that all pilots wouldn't want their kids to follow in their footsteps. I don't care for broadbased statements like that.

I have an acquaintance who is a pilot for the majors. He works 8 days on, 14 days off. He flies Detroit direct to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul to name a few. He commutes to Dtw and has stay at home wife, four kids, minivan, BMW and Saab in driveway, house is one of the nicest in the area. He likes his job.

The sticking point with Spirit pilots is much more money. They want to be paid like those who they feel are their peers like Air Tran or Jet Blue. Problem there is a huge difference in what people pay for a Spirit ticket verus Air Tran or Jet Blue. Then crank it up a whole other level to Delta or American. Tickets there are much more expensive and so is it that the pilots salaries are much more attractive. (Allows one to have a stay at home spouse and lots of toys in the yard.)

Ok...rambled enough here, haven't heard the latest on the the strike, but did hear that Jet Blue stock was up 5.5percent today on anticipation that they'll gain from this strike.

[BOATSRUS]

Berlin Girl... you are starting to sounding ole' as me!!!talking about the good ole days!....I got in the biz in 1979... times were good then ... wish I had just known how good....sounds like you and me need to have a meet and greet at The Beach Bar....I'll buy the first couple rounds!

Ciao, Boats

[dtenel]

I have to agree that these pilots need to realize that lost pensions and losses on stocks/401K's are ahppening to EVERYONE! I just got my review last week and got a 2% pay raise. I was happy with that and even happier that I even have a job.

[17th Hole]

Keep in mind that even though Spirit is a cheap airline, they still had record profits this year (close to $100 million, I think) - one of the best years of all the airlines. The pilots took pay cuts after 9/11 to help keep the company flying with the understanding that they would get their salaries back once the company did better. They never got that. They have been trying for the last 3-4 years to get their salaries in line with the rest of the industry, or at the least, their peers (other discount airlines). The pilots just wanted to be treated with respect and fairness from a company they sacrificed so much for. Spirit management has refused. This strike is the culmination of many years of frustration in getting a fair deal. Regardless of how the economy is doing and how other people are being paid (and whether or not they even have a job), the fact is that Spirit as a company is doing very well. I feel the pilots are a special breed that take the responsibility of the lives of hundreds of people a day into their hands, and despite weather, plane problems, birds, etc. manage to get everyone to their destination (our vacations and then our homes) safely each time. Do I think they are greedy bastards who just about ruined my trip to STJ this year? Absolutely not. I respect them, their training and their right to fight for what they deserve. I would much rather have an experienced pilot who has flown his routes and his planes a thousand times, who has his mind on the job at hand working for a company he likes and who respects him. This strike was not just a matter of "If you don't pay us, we're going to walk". This was a last resort plan that Spirit knew about way ahead of time and did not fully address until a few hours before the strike deadline. I don't blame the pilots. I'm not sure who the blame falls on, but I have a feeling this strike is hurting the company way more than it is the pilots. When it's all over, we may have to pay more for flights, but personally, I don't mind as long as the employees get their fair pay.

That's my $0.02 anyway.

[augie]

Is anyone that's ever had a Spirit connecting flight, or tried to contact their customer service department really surprised at all of this?

[JJShaw]

Just read this....
http://www.ajc.com/business/spirit-airl ... 50603.html
Looks like Im getting a new ticker...