Will Close Call Center, Move Pilot Ops

The carrier that became Spirit Airlines started out in Detroit some 27 years ago... but this week, the airline announced significant reductions to its presence in the Motor City.

The Detroit Free-Press reports the airline made two announcements this week -- one that it will close its Clinton Township-based reservations call center on August 31, and a second that it will move its pilot operations to Florida by October 1.

Closing the call center will eliminate about 130 jobs, out of several hundred Spirit workers in Michigan. The airline plans to outsource its customer service operations to a Florida-based company, Plantation-based PRC Corp.

The airline will move its Detroit pilot operations to Fort Lauderdale. Southeast Michigan is home to about half of Spirit's 450 pilots.

Spirit says there won't be any changes to the airline's flights to and from Detroit Metro Airport.

"Detroit accounts for about a quarter of all our flights," said airline spokeswoman Alison Russell "Our routes continue unchanged and we’re working with the pilots and their families. But they can choose to live anywhere they choose."

Matthew Nowell, spokesman for Spirit's chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association, says the moves are due to economic realities.

"From my perspective, the company is focusing on the Caribbean and South and Central America and this I believe is an economic decision," said Nowell, a Ft. Lauderdale-based captain. "The pilots are upset about this in Detroit and Ft. Lauderdale, because it has the potential to throw our contract negotiations into disarray."

Spirit and ALPA have been in negotiations for more than 10 months... and Nowell says he's concerned about the impact the move will have on Detroit pilots, who may chose to move to Florida, commute... or leave the carrier.

"I will be working with the company to guarantee that these people will be able to commute from Detroit to Ft. Lauderdale," said Nowell. "People can’t just up and sell a house tomorrow in the Detroit metro area. Plus real estate in Florida is two to three times more expensive."

Spirit was founded in Detroit in 1980 as charter tour operator Charter One.

FMI: www.spiritair.com