"However, we are confident that we can work together to achieve fair compensation and productivity rules which are in line with others in our ULCC peer group, such as Spirit and Frontier."

************ United rates or better, baby! Anything less is a big fat no vote. What a sorry excuse to reign in expectations.

 

Welcome to the party.

 

But you think safety and working conditions are up to par here?

It doesn't matter how much money per hour you get if you are dead.

 

now that's some words to live by....

 

What I do think is, it is insane to publicly air dirty laundry in the attempt to facilitate the demise of the company that signs your paycheck. I know certain guys on here think trying to destroy the place you work for is a brilliant negotiating tactic, but I strongly disagree. What we can agree on is that we are worth more..... much more.

Maury and Steve,

You might want to avoid celebrating our massive profits if you expect us to work for mediocre wages. I am not concerned with the type of business model we have. ULCC, LCC or Legacy, it's all the same to me. We (pilot's wages) are not a cost predicated on your business model. ULCC in Asia are offering significantly more to operate the same equipment we fly here. Justifying low pay based on the ULCC business model is bunk. If passengers want to save a few bucks by skimping on amenities that is their right and their business. There are fixed costs associated with running an airline. Fuel costs what it costs without negotiation. The same goes for parts from airplane manufacturers. Why should a pilot be any different. Does F&H cut you a break because we are an ULCC? I thought not.

 

Looking at Spirit's CA rates, a lot of our guys would take a pay cut until reaching the 6 year mark. I guess that's a lot like the concessionary offer given to our negotiating team last meeting for hours of service.

 

Steve-O in his letter uses Spirit and Frontier as examples for pay expectations. I think it's important to put how and when they got their pay rates into perspective. Spirit signed their contract 5 years ago. During that time frame, housing prices were in the toilet, airlines were going under and the one that weren't were losing millions and in some cases billions per year. Additionally, oil prices were double what they are now and unemployment was 9.5%. Spirit barely made just over $20 million for the entire year in 2010. Back in 2008, Frontier filed chapter 11 bankruptcy. Do some research and compare their profits to ours over the last 10 years. We are miles ahead financially than Frontier. We should expect to be paid accordingly.

5 Year Crude Oil Prices and Crude Oil Price Charts - InvestmentMine
Bureau of Labor Statistics Data
SAVE Annual Income Statement - Spirit Airlines Inc. Annual Financials
Frontier to Fly Amid Bankruptcy Filing - WSJ

 

Get used to it - it's called doing an end-around the NC & negotiating directly with the pilots, managing expectations, using "Letters From Steve", Town Halls, impromptu visits to recurrent.

Right outta the playbook.

 

If you guys settle for what we have in pay and retirement it would be a huge disappointment. Our (spirit) pay is a joke. The rest of the contract isn't bad but we are certainly not productive if that's what they want. FYI the B scale rates below six years longevity are a product of no one being in the left seat with less that 6 years when the contract was signed. It's called pulling up the ladder.

 

Your next picket signs should read: "Allegiant passengers: do you really want ultra low cost pilots flying allegiant's ultra low maintained airplanes?"