Spirit Airlines, based in Miramar, Fla., said flight cancellations will continue as the pilot strike continues. Thousands of travelers have found themselves stranded at airports around the U.S., Carribbean and Latin America. Although the airline is crediting passengers with flights and offering a $100 credit towards future travel on Spirit Airlines, customers have been forced to rebook on other carriers to get to their final destinations.
The strike has caught the attention of the nation and other pilot unions. The US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA), the representing group for pilots of US Airways, announced support for Spirit.
“US Airways pilots could not sympathize more with the Spirit pilots, since the similarities in our conditions are striking,” said USAPA President Mike Cleary. “Like us, the Spirit pilots gave up pay, working conditions and benefits when our managements needed to save our airlines. Like us, the Spirit pilots have been working at the bottom of the industry pay scale and without a pay raise for years. Like us, their management team has dragged out contract talks for nearly four years. Like us, their management is attempting to impose below-standard pay and working conditions in the face of an improving economy.” (source: MarketWatch)
Will other airline pilot unions do the same?
As airlines show signs of improvement – like the growth of business travel and word that travelers are happier with carriers – we can expected to see airlines slowly nudge back into the green. If airlines stay profitable for a considerable amount of time, you can bet that pilot unions will look for gains in wages and benefits. Yet, like Spirit, carriers hope to keep costs down. It’ll be interesting to watch and see if this strike spurs any other activity within unions around the industry.
