The U.S.-based discount carrier said on its website Sunday that all Spirit Airlines flights have been cancelled through June 15. AvGroup is a Miami-based consulting firm specializing in Caribbean and Latin American travel.Spirit Airlines is cancelling all of its flights through Tuesday, stranding thousands more passengers as a pilot's strike continues into its second day. “Obviously the pilots have hurt the airline’s bottom line, but at the same time Spirit has the right spirit and will continue to do well,” Booth said in an e-mail. Spirit is a privately owned company, so it’s unclear how deep were the losses it sustained as a result of the strike.īob Booth, chairman of AvGroup, Inc., predicts the company will emerge in “reasonably good” shape. Department of Transportation, Spirit Airlines earned $108 million in 2009, earning profit margins higher than any other U.S. Other airline unions will see Spirit pilots’ victory as an opportunity to get pay raises, as well, he added.Īccording to quarterly reports issued by the U.S. “Spirit has room to raise fares and still be a low-cost leader,” Hobica said. George Hobica, founder of, says Spirit passengers should expect to pay higher fares going forward to help absorb the increase labor costs. Spirit has a loyal customer base of leisure travelers that fly the airline based on price alone, he said, noting that by Friday it’ll be “business as usual.” “If the fares are lower than anyone else, they’ll be back on them faster than a New York second,” said airline consultant Michael Boyd, president of The Boyd Group in Golden, Colorado. Airport authorities calculated the loss of flight landing fees, gate usage fees and security fees.īased on the airport’s lease agreement with carriers, which Spirit shares jointly with other major carriers, the airport expects to recoup those fee losses by year’s end, George said.Īirline experts say the Spirit pilots’ strike – while inconvenient and costly for thousands of passengers whose flights were canceled – will not damage the airline’s brand and future. On Tuesday, about 600 Spirit flight attendants were furloughed for the duration of the strike, and the Fort Lauderdale airport estimated its losses from the shutdown at $40,000 a day. The affects of the shutdown of Spirit Airlines by striking pilots rippled through the South Florida economy. “I’m very happy to see that a settlement has been reached,” said Fort Lauderdale Airport Director Kent George. It does not serve Miami International Airport. At Palm Beach International Airport, Spirit flies seasonally and represents about 1 percent of the total year-round operations. Spirit is the largest operator at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, carrying about 10,000 passengers daily. Spirit offers about 150 daily flights to 40 cities, but the airline has not flown since Saturday. “The planes and the pilots are all out of position,” Creed said, noting it could take time to get operations back to normal across Spirit’s system. That agreement outlines a plan of how the company will position pilots and planes to resume flights. The strike will not officially be called off until pilot and management negotiators approve a return-to-work agreement, which officials were hoping to complete Wednesday night. These are being processed through the company’s reservation line at 80. Thursday flights remain canceled, and passengers can get refunds or credits for the flight costs plus a $100 future flight credit. In general, the agreement elevates pilots’ pay to be in line with peers at other discount carriers, and pilots will not have to wait the full five-year term to receive their raises, he said. No pilots crossed the picket lines.Ĭreed declined to provide specific details of the contract. Initially, Spirit said it planned to use other airlines to keep passengers flying, but it couldn’t follow through and was forced to shut down by the strike.
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