Spirit and jetBlue
 

I am comparing Spirit and JB and wonder what current guys (and gals) think of the current and future prospects are.

Seems Spirit is hiring like gang busters but those Ive spoken with say that as soon as the announced deliveries and completed the hiring and growth will come to a sudden stop. If you're in before the half way point you may be okay.
JB seems to be in a very slow growth stage and I hear talk about being ripe for a merger. Not sure if that's a good thing or not. 150 new hires in 2015 vs 500 at Spirit?
Is most of the growth at JB behind them and Spirit is still growing fast?

I think I'd go to wherever I could live in base.

Have you considered Delta?

As far as Spirit goes, the hiring numbers for 2015 should be about 260-270. I also wouldn't expect the growth to suddenly stop once the deliveries end. It wouldn't surprise me at all if there is another order on deck. But based on what's currently ordered, you'd pobably be on the back side of the hiring curve if you are hired later this year.

Thanks judge

I think there will be limited growth at Spirit once this current phase is over. I just wonder if the slow and steady pace of JB is likely to stop anytime soon too.

I know they have very different business models but a steady profitable beat at JB may provide a better QOL at 5 and 10 years than being stuck at Spirit (I know they are more profitable than JB with 1/2 the planes) in the face of slow/no additional growth in a few years.

Spirit and jetBlue
 

JB hiring is set to be around the same as for 2014. We hired 450 in 2014, and it should be around 400 this year.

I have a strong feeling that the growth at Spirit has a long, long way to go before we've reached any point where we can even consider slowing down.

The marketing department has come out already and stated they have some 500 untapped markets here in the US. 500 city pairs. Prolly gonna need more than the 140 or so airplanes we are projecting to have when this phase is over.

Look at RyanAir. They've got a market in Europe roughly the same size, both in population and in geography, as the US. They've got over 300 aircraft in their fleet.

I may be wrong, but I think we're just getting warmed up.

Our CEO has said time and time again our model supports way more than current order book. I know that doesn't help but just some food for thought. I wouldn't come here based on upgrade like I wouldn't go to jetblue based on slow & steady growth. You NEVER EVER KNOW.

Anyway, the answer is and will always be DELTA

I wouldn't bet on no growth at Spirit at this point. I really think there's a lot more to come. The management here is not going to be content with the status quo when they know there's untapped markets they could make a fortune on.

The other factor here is QOL. Do you live near any of Spirit's or JetBlue's bases?