Spirit Airlines pilots strike

Source: ap

Spirit Airlines pilots went on strike on Saturday, and the company immediately canceled all of its flights for the day.

The walkout and cancellations were expected to affect thousands of travelers. Spirit flies from several airports in the eastern U.S., through Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to points in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Talks were extended past a midnight deadline, but the pilots announced the walkout on a hot line message at 5:30 a.m. EDT. The company confirmed the strike and announced it was canceling its Saturday flights on its website.

"Spirit Airlines is continuing to work with our pilot union to reach a fair and equitable agreement that ensures the long-term stability of the company," the company said on its website.


Read more: http://www.rr.com/news/topic/article/rr/9009/13733240/Spirit_Airlines_pilots_strike

:rofl:

No they're not. They (management) walked away from the negotiations yesterday.

All the best to the Spirit pilots at such a difficult (and scary) moment!

all the best to the Spirit pilots......

:hi:

K&R!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_Airlines

"2006
In 2006, the airline released a “Hunt for Hoffa” advertising campaign with the tagline “Help us find Hoffa with our Hunt for Hoffa game and enjoy fares from just $39 each way.” The point of the game was to dig for Jimmy Hoffa’s body by clicking grids on the airline’s website, and “winners” were taken to another webpage, saying "You found Hoffa!" thanking them for assisting the National Spirit Sale Center find the union leader’s body.<27> Within hours after the promotion debuted, the airline received many complaints, and the promotion was taken down immediately and changed to another promotion, simply titled “Happy Sale.” This promotion was later listed as #8 on CNN Money’s 101 Dumbest Moments in Business.<28>

2007
In December 2007, the airline released a sale with the acronym MILF, standing for “Many Islands, Low Fares.” Online and TV media picked up on this and noted that M.I.L.F. was popularized in the movie American Pie as an acronym for "Mom I'd Like to Fuck" This controversy was covered on CBS and ABC News, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and The O'Reilly Factor.<29>

2008
In April 2008, the airline sent an email to its marketing subscription list announcing “We’re having a threesome. Join us in the fun.” Offering "three sales in one," the email repeatedly proposes the "threesome."<30>

2009
On January 8, 2009, the airline announced the return of the MILF Special, described as meaning "Many Islands, Low Fares".<31><32>

On December 2, 2009, shortly after a well publicized car accident involving golfer Tiger Woods, Spirit launched lowered fares in a promotion called the "Eye of the Tiger Sale". Imagery for the campaign featured an SUV crashing into a fire hydrant, with a tiger leaning out the driver's side window.<33>

2010
On February 2, 2010, the airline offered the "Many Unbelievably Fantastic Fares (MUFF) to Diving Destinations" promotion. Many of their prominent Caribbean or Floridian destinations were featured."

Is there something wrong with an airline having a tongue-in-cheek ad campaign?

That crappy/poor taste ads are not the product of the rank & file workers. The Spirit pilots (as well as most of their other employees) are decent, hard working people forced to deal with greedy management. They have NO say in who the company hires to do their advertising or what the content of those ads are.

While I generally support the work of the unions, this strike has one word written all over it: Greed.

This strike is not reducing hours, improving working conditions, or striking over dangerous and ill-maintained aircraft. This is about the pilots wanting more money.

Spirit pilots aren't exactly the best paid in the industry. While they aren't the worst paid either, they aren't exactly getting wealthy working there. In part it's likely also dealing with how the airline creates schedules and other issues within the company as well.

What the hell? How much do you think the pilots are making? How much responsibility does a pilot have? How many hours away from home does a pilot spend? Do you know pilots only get paid when the engines are running?

Do you know that the real wages and benefits of airline pilots average about 30% of what they were before deregulation (late 1970's)?

Crap. I'm an airline pilot and I fucking hate the job anymore. Do you know that the FAA can ride in my cockpit anytime they want to see how well I do my job? If I don't do it well enough they will suspend my license (no appeal, no recourse) for 60 days? I have to be wary of terrorists, the fucking TSA (tub stacking agency), unruly passengers, mechanical failure, thunderstorms, inexperienced air traffic controllers (nobody with over 5 years experience will be left due to fucking Reagan), take a medical exam every six months, a simulator test to keep my job every six months and I'm greedy???!?!

Do you hate everyone who works for a living or just airline pilots? You know that is why people work, for money? I don't believe you support unions at all.

I would compare flight simulation to airline flying like playing Russian roulette with an empty gun. You may understand the theory, but until your life is on the line with the clock running down, you really don't understand shit.

really, jeez.

You might want to do your homeworh on how pilots have fared in the last decade. Not pretty. Of course they would like to improve their pay and work rules. Check out how their company has been treating them lately.

Blindly spewing the management line about greedy unions is pointless.

Corporate profit is theft, workers are entitled to as much money as they can coerce from the Investor Class parasites.

Spirit Airlines is quite possibly the worst airline in business in NA these days. Their customer services is atrocious (have had first-hand experience). I tell pretty much everyone who gets a cheap flight through them, "You get what you pay for!"

I guess the best way to prove your point is shut them all down completely and see how things work out economically and socially.

Wow.

Actually all significant components of the economy/society. Additionally, airlines pay a significant amount in taxes, fees, services, etc., as well as support numerous ancillary businesses (large and small). They also provide a significant number of jobs. If you consider jobs provided by their contractors and vendors, the FAA, HSA, TSA, etc., that's a lot of impact.

They also provide critical transportation for everything from our troops and government personnel to medicine/organ shipments...you name it.

It appears they contribute a great deal to society.

McJobs? Not even sure where that fits in. Any industry has a mix of job types.