Spirit Airlines has cancelled all its flights through Tuesday because of a pilots’ strike. The “ultra low-cost carrier” said passengers booked on the cancelled flights can get a credit for the full value of the flight plus a $100 bonus credit. Cash refunds are also available and travel insurance may be available in some cases. Wages appear to be the major issue and, of course, the company and the Air Line Pilots Association, which represents the pilots, have different ways of looking at the events that led to the picket action.
The airline says the package it offered will result in a 47-percent wage increase over five years and pay a senior captain more than $200,000 a year. And, although pilots reportedly voted 98 percent in favor of strike action, the company is suggesting in its latest news release that the strike is not supported by its pilots and is part of a wider union strategy to pressure other airlines. ALPA says solidarity is strong and the strike will continue “until management comes to the table with a deal that recognizes the worth of a professional pilot.”
