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Striking Spirit Airlines' Pilots Ruin Vacations
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Jun 13, 2010
Modified Jun 13, 2010
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published Jun 13, 2010
Modified Jun 13, 2010
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Notoriously stingy Spirit Airlines has been forced to cancel all of today's flights as the pilot strike continues into its second day. Pilots claim they have been working in poor conditions and want to be paid as much as their counterparts at JetBlue and Airtran. A union spokesman says they "will not return to the cockpit until a fair and equitable contract is negotiated." Spirit Airlines says there are no plans for new negotiations, and have been busy attempting to refund travelers' tickets and get them onto other fights. It's not going so smoothly.
One passenger tells NY1, "I'm flying to Myrtle Beach I cannot get a flight out and I'm stuck at the airport. I can't even get home and I have my 7-year-old son and it's our vacation. His vacation is ruined." The strike has left many stranded in airports, since tickets on other flights are costing up to three times as much. Traveler Junior Elliott said, "It's bad now, man. I can't even buy a cup of coffee."
However, one "Airline analyst" said that Spirit pilots actually made more last year than pilots at AirTran. The airline also reportedly offered to raise pilot pay by 30% over five years, though work rule changes mean pilots would have to fly more to earn the raise. Someone get Schumer on the case!
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pilot strike
spirit airlines
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Jaya Saxena
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