Originally Posted by
gatorbird
Ben and Co. could care less what time it takes for us to get to the jet; we should leave earlier is more than likely their inner opinion. They don't give a damn what conveniences they could throw our way for free and definitely aren't going to hand out things that cost a nickel.
You are one of many people on this board that follow Spirit and have a strong desire to work here, namely because you see it as a good place to work with a solid balance sheet, good business model and excellent growth potential. While you are correct in all of these assumptions, do know: the upper management team and BOD that walked all over us for so long just a few short years ago are still completely intact. This group had every intention of shoving a foreign carrier-type work agreement down our throats to the likes unseen by any US carrier; they tried to use fear and macro-economic uncertainty as their weapon. This same group blatantly, flauntingly violated many parts of our CBA and abused the NMB grievance process to sickening levels.
So don't let the jovial, school-boy smile he has on Fox News fool you- Ben Baldanza doesn't like you. Ask any America West guy their opinion of Bill Franke (Chairman of the board) and you might get **** on your shoes. Labor is a necessary evil to these guys- nothing more. So forgive us if we're all a bit skeptical that a phone call from Herndon was all it took to talk Ben into spreading the holiday cheer.
I do have a strong desire to work at Spirit, you are correct with that.
BUT, I have been a constant reader of the forums here, and I'm not dumb enough to put all my eggs in one basket. While Spirit is #1 on my list, Delta is 1A and FedEx is 1B(I have internal recs and a fairly senior sponsor at FedEx), I cannot deny the growth potential, which equates to upgrade potential at Spirit.
I do a LOT of research into the financial aspects of companies, I'm not an expert, just a hobbyist, and I see a big future for Spirit, think Southwest in a way. I want to be a part of it.
Before I got sidetracked by my own thoughts, I was saying I read a lot on these forums and NO ONE is completely happy with management, but I've got to say, I hear less bi***ing about Spirit than other carriers (JetBlue is just caustic), that may be due to the vocal readership or actual problems. But, I've yet to hear anyone say Spirit is a sucky place to work and this huge for me.
Even in the Air Force, we complain about management, we complain about the DO, the commander, but not about the Chief Pilot (just because I'm him, lol), so complaining is nothing new. A pilot who doesn't complain is one to worry about!
I am learning quite a bit though!