Spirit pilots ratify new labor pact

By Aaron Karp | July 26, 2010

Photo: Spirit A320. Courtesy, Spirit Airlines.

Spirit Airlines pilots ratified a new five-year labor contract with 74% voting in favor in balloting that occurred this month, the Air Line Pilots Assn. representing the LCC's 420 flight deck crew announced Friday.

The pilots staged a five-day strike in June before agreeing to return to work following management and ALPA's reaching accord on a tentative agreement (ATW Daily News, June 17). Capt. Sean Creed, ALPA's Spirit master executive council chair, said the new contract contains "substantial pay raises and industry-leading work rules." The sides had been in talks off-and-on for four years until finally reaching the June resolution. ALPA said that 96% of Spirit pilots voted in the ratification balloting.

"The ratification of this contract brings years of negotiations to the only conclusion this pilot group would accept—a fair contract that recognizes our value to this airline," Creed said. “Spirit pilots held firm during an arduous bargaining process and a five-day strike.”

The union said the new labor accord, in effect immediately, increases hourly wages by 10% on average for captains and 18% for first officers. "In addition, the entire pilot group will receive a substantial signing bonus," it said, but did not disclose the bonus amount.

Spirit President and CEO Ben Baldanza said, “We are pleased to have reached a stable and mutually beneficial agreement that will support continued growth for the company and provide improved pay and benefits for our valued pilots, while at the same time allowing Spirit to continue offering ultra low fares for our customers."

Discuss this news 9

26 Jul07:51

Now SPIRIT Flight Attendants

By Anonymous

Now SPIRIT Flight Attendants should fight for better pay, benefits and work rules. They should go on strike too; guess it is the only way SPIRIT management reacts; good for the pilots!!!

26 Jul08:13

It'd be all too nice now,

By IguanaDC3

It'd be all too nice now, conversely, to learn more about what the company gained from this. I'd like to know what an "industry-leading work rule" actually is. We'd ALL like to know what labor had to "give" during the aforementioned give-&-take. Hopefully they had to give SOMEthing, or at least agree to shelve their hotshot Maverick egos in return for a "signing bonus", good grief. How's about a SUFOP ("Shut Up & Fly Our Plane") bonus!

26 Jul10:26

IguanaDC3. Spirit gained:

By lookout

IguanaDC3. Spirit gained: FIVE years of labor consistency, no more than a ten percent increase in pilot labor costs from the lowest to almost the lowest, dramatic increases in reserve pilot utilization, dramatic reduction in "soft time" pay (150% OT pay is gone, etc) and a dramatic decrease in their portion of pilot health insurance. Still, the "maverick ego" pilots at Spirit airlines will make almost half the wages of a SWA pilot on a yearly basis.
How bout ST*U until you know some facts. If you are a stockholder in Indigo or Oaktree, you KNOW you got a great deal. BTW, Spirit made virtually the same profit amount last year as did SWA while flying less than ten percent of the aircraft SWA flies. With this virtually cost neutral contract, Spirit will be profitable for years to come.

26 Jul10:28

One more thing, the signing

By lookout

One more thing, the signing bonus amounts to 73 dollars per month for the 41 months that the Spirit pilots flew under their last, expired/amendable 1997 wages contract.

26 Jul16:39

Why don't you just fly

By Anonymous

Why don't you just fly yourself?

27 Jul02:46

congrats to the pilots for

By phbl

congrats to the pilots for standing strong and long!

work rules for pilots include commuting rules (e.g. if i try commuting to my base on 4 consecutive flights, have no success, and miss my check in time, i'm not coded as an unauthorized absence), duty rules (e.g. if i only get 3 hours of flying time in a 12 hour duty day, do i get paid for 3 hours, or am i guaranteed to be paid minimum half my duty time?), deadheading (do i get $0/hr to deadhead, half time/hr, or full time/hr while deadheading; also, do i get a jumpseat, seat with a middle seat open, a j class seat, or the back window seat?), layover hotels (e.g. if my layover is 16 hrs or more, do i get a hotel that is in walking distance to amenities [i.e. downtown]?), sick days, reserve rules (if i am drafted to a flight within 4 hours the check in time and i don't own a car, will the company provide a free taxi to the airport?) gee, what else am i missing here...

flight attendants going on strike? i'd be cautious about that one. sympathy for FAs in the public is always weak, especially when you consider how many single 18-24 year olds are lined up eagerly anticipating their jobs...but i can never say anything ill towards a group of employees (except bureaucrats) standing up to their employer for better treatment.

27 Jul11:26

It is really a shame, that a

By Capt. Denis Murphy

It is really a shame, that a profession that is responsible for millions of dollars of flying metal and responsible for the well being of sons,mothers,fathers is look upon with such a low or lack of respect in the business world!!! If I can teach a monkey to fly an airplane, or a computer to fly a UAV for less money the stockholder are very happy campers for that matter......Doctors,dentist,animal vets,nurses,demand more respect in our society than an airline/bus driver!!!!!!! Pilots be aware we are going to be replace by something better than we are now, we have to start thinking about how to change that mentality.........It is not a matter of making more money, but a matter of projecting the right image. I flown overseas and let me tell you an airplane Captain demands the same respect as a medical doctor here in the USA.Why?? Because our profession has not done its homework in the PR and youth arena.Would my son become an airline pilot??? I think not!!!
According to him "is not fun anymore"..."I rather fly the computer game on my PC". We have to starting thinking like politicans do, we have to start a grssroots movement now,today or else I see our profession down the road of prehistory animals.....Extinction!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

27 Jul21:14

Yes! And let's start with

By Bill

Yes! And let's start with grammar and spelling lessons as well!

28 Jul04:24

Capt' Murphy, you make a good

By IguanaDC3

Capt' Murphy, you make a good point. PHBL, I can EASILY speak ill will of a labor group in general, if not this one, for "standing up to mgmt" IF they (the former) are in the wrong, however defined, esp' if they forget just how fortunate they are nowadays to have a gig in the FIRST place. And "lookout", how's about you MAKE me ST*U?! Even after finally obtaining the facts, I was still w/in my rights to inquire as I did. And Bill, good point, sir!