Flights Currently Cancelled Through Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Following the failure of negotiations to reach an agreed settlement over the weekend, the pilots of Spirit Airplanes went on strike Saturday, and show no signs of returning any time soon.

According to ALPA, 'At 5:01 a.m., June 12, Spirit pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), went on strike against their company—and will not return to the cockpit until a fair and equitable contract is negotiated. Pilot negotiators agreed to extend the strike deadline twice in order to review final proposals put forth by both parties to keep the airline running. In the end, both sides could not reach an agreement.'

“Immediately after 5:00 a.m., the Spirit Pilot Master Executive Council, as authorized by our pilots, called for and instituted a lawful strike against our

management,” announced Captain Sean Creed, head of the Spirit unit of ALPA.

“Spirit pilots are willing to withdraw their services to get the contract they deserve,” said Captain John Prater, president of ALPA. “Every one of the 53,000 pilots of ALPA stands with them as they go on strike. As pilots, our livelihood is in the air—not on the picket line—but the inability of Spirit management to negotiate a contract that adequately compensates our professional members has created this dispute. I urge Spirit management to reconsider their position on the value of their experienced and professional airline pilots.”

ALPA notes that the strike comes after nearly four years of contract negotiations and numerous attempts by the pilots to find a middle ground with management and avoid a strike. All Spirit pilots, especially first officers, have been working at below-market rates for years, and under substandard work rules.

To those a mite puzzled by why a strike was called in the middle of an economic downturn, Spirit also seems to be somewhat taken aback. The airline claims that "pilots would have earned an additional 47% in compensation over five years and further bonuses and extras paying many pilots over $200,000 annually."

"It is surprising to me that ALPA would turn down this generous offer that would have paid senior captains over $200,000 per year," says Spirit Airlines President and CEO Ben Baldanza. "I am concerned that our employees are being used in a broader political game that may not be in the interest of their careers or their families. This deal should be about Spirit and Spirit only, not about the pilots whose contracts are under negotiation at other ALPA carriers, but it would appear other forces have intervened."

Spirit claims to have offered a 'double-digit percent in salary increase and also adds that the pilots would have retained a four-day off break between each and every trip, 'a feature not found in any other ALPA contract,' and another major issue of the negotiations. Despite not being favored by Spirit, the four-day off issue was a continuous sticking point for ALPA. 
 
In addition, under the offer each pilot would have received a $3,000 signing bonus. The pilots would also receive an eight percent 401K match in years one through three with an increase to nine percent in year four, while all other Spirit employees only receive a three percent match. A company statement opines that "Spirit pilots at the negotiating table worked incredibly hard and Spirit stepped up with them to get a contract that works for all parties and ensures the long-term growth and stability of the company and its pilots. Spirit's offer to ALPA addressed all of the union's major requests."

In the meantime, thousands of flyers have been left stranded, especially in light of the fact that few airlines are offering to help out Spirit passengers by honoring the canceled tickets. For the moment, passengers are being forced to rebook on other airlines and often at costs much greater than the prices that they had already paid to Spirit.

Spirit is processing future flight credits for customers for the full amount of their unflown flight purchase, and is also giving them a $100 future flight credit. 

FMI: www.spiritair.com, www.alpa.org