They could merge us tomorrow but right now it doesn't make sense. Spirit is growing organically, the airline is improving in ontime and customer service metrics, profits are solid, stock price is up YOY, and our expansion isn't hindered. Frontier isn't in our way, yet, of any growth and they don't add anything that we can't do for ourselves.

Right now it would make as much sense as merging McDonald's and Burger King.

I could eat some McKing. Imagine Whoppers or Big Macs, McDs fries, that sounds great.
Us and Frontier doesn't sound great...

That would be awesome! I can’t belive we don’t go there already. I heard it’s because it’s too expensive but I sure we would do well.

Idk if the Canadian government would want the competition with their airlines. However some Tim Hortons never hurt anyone!

I hope BWI doesn’t become a base. The more bases you have the more you dilute the other existing bases leading to less flexibility (read: open time for swapping, look at ACY). Especially when placed in locations like BWI where no one wants to live and a new base doesn’t help anyone.

Now, another west coast base where people might actually want to live could improve qol for many even with dilution of the other bases.

A hand full of big bases is best for qol as opposed to a bunch of small ones. How much swapping to you think Allegiant pilots do? Basically zero. Like I tell my kids, you get what you get and you don’t get upset. Who wants that?

I’ve been here for just over 2 years. I was hoping to upgrade under 3 years but as it looks, We have been upgrading ~5/month. Pbs will be more efficient so prob less upgrades and pilots needed. So now I’m currebtly projecting 3 years, 3-6 months. I’m a late 2016 hire. Guys hired in late 2015 upgraded in 2 years 10 months. So it’s slowly getting longer and longer. If we don’t have an order beyond 2021 then we hired our last captain in 2017 already. So pretty much pointless to come here now unless you just love our bases. QOL is pretty good. Pay is decent. Fast upgrade is what made this place conceivable option. For new hires now. You’ll prob never upgrade. And if you do. It’ll be 5+ years. And you’ll be reserve CA for long time, if not forever. I’d never come here now. Too many other options for faster movement and better career progression. For what it’s worth. Hold out for better. Or come here. Get A320 type and bail

Jamie Baker

Hey, good morning everybody. You’ve had several months now to live with the new pilot contract and at the same time you know the growth rate based on ASM’s is decelerating pretty meaningfully. If I were hired as a first officer today, which would be a bad idea obviously, but what would your best estimate be in terms of how long it would take me to move to the left seat. In two years ago at this time what would your answer have been roughly speaking?

John Bendoraitis

Hey Jamie, this is John Bendoraitis. So right now we're running about – it ranges from two years and eight months to about three years depending on you know when you want to make the move, so we just kind of round it to three years and it's been pretty consistent in my time here. So it's been hovering right around that three year mark, so give or take a few months on either side.

Jamie Baker

And going forward, that's true even with the slower growth rate?

A - Bob Fornaro

But the block hours are, you know you got to look at we're getting bigger. So even though the rate is going down we’re in it.

Ted Christie

And I would say the move Jamie; it’s Ted. The move off of this, there may be you know rounding a little bit, but it's not going to be material shifts. We’re still going to be an extremely attractive place to work for pilots while we continue to grow even at mid-teens rather than ‘21, in ’21. It's still going to be one of the best in the industry.

Jamie Baker

Okay, got it, that was the point of the question.

If they stopped at 177. It seems all signs point to that not being the case.

Growth forecast for the next few years to the investors is 15% (it has been on ir.spirit.com for over a year). That means double the size every 5 years, so that is the only forward looking statement I can give you. Yes, growth could stop totally, (or increase, but even less likely) but something out of the ordinary would need to happen because you aren’t allowed to lie to the investors.

I love how the analyst says in his question, If I were hired as a first officer today, which obviously would be a bad... hahaha. I’m sure his job as an analyst asking nonsensical questions on company earnings calls is glamorous.