It's official - JB buying us.
07-28-2022 | 09:16 AM
#51
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jul 2021
Posts: 1,035
Likes: 0
Lot of guru pilots on here that had a second career in airline merger etc.
A serious question.
We know now that JB can rest assured they have a dance partner and NK management has no obligation to ensure the viability of the Spirit Airlines brand. Is it safe to say: until what was Spirit Airlines is absorbed by JetBlue Airways and a JCBA has been settled, all new aircraft that were to be put into the Spirit system will now be painted in JB colors and put into the JB network? No new routes or means to improving the customer service experience of Spirit Airlines should be expected since there’s no reason to build the brand.
How does that effect us as pilots of NK for the next couple of years? Realistically it’s been nice to experience real organic growth and new aircraft each month.
NK hires because of attrition. But it also has been hiring substantially to keep up with growth as well. Upgrades will most likely stop until since Spirit Airlines will be, from our perspective, winding down until a JCBA is reached.
Knowing that these regulatory processes take quite some time, I’d imagine JB will be whittling a way at the NK, until there’s very little
left. So as to show the DOJ that there’s nothing to save by opposing the merge. Another not so fun thing for us.
To those in the know, (seems to be quite a few of you) please tell me something that will make the next couple of years less painful for us.
A serious question.
We know now that JB can rest assured they have a dance partner and NK management has no obligation to ensure the viability of the Spirit Airlines brand. Is it safe to say: until what was Spirit Airlines is absorbed by JetBlue Airways and a JCBA has been settled, all new aircraft that were to be put into the Spirit system will now be painted in JB colors and put into the JB network? No new routes or means to improving the customer service experience of Spirit Airlines should be expected since there’s no reason to build the brand.
How does that effect us as pilots of NK for the next couple of years? Realistically it’s been nice to experience real organic growth and new aircraft each month.
NK hires because of attrition. But it also has been hiring substantially to keep up with growth as well. Upgrades will most likely stop until since Spirit Airlines will be, from our perspective, winding down until a JCBA is reached.
Knowing that these regulatory processes take quite some time, I’d imagine JB will be whittling a way at the NK, until there’s very little
left. So as to show the DOJ that there’s nothing to save by opposing the merge. Another not so fun thing for us.
To those in the know, (seems to be quite a few of you) please tell me something that will make the next couple of years less painful for us.
You should be very comforted that JetBlue specifically has has very strong language that not only prohibits what you are saying but also REQUIRES a JCBA first. We have substantially more leverage with JetBlue than we ever did with frontier.
07-28-2022 | 09:20 AM
#52
The REAL Bluedriver
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 6,935
Likes: 0
From: Airbus Capt
Someone (claiming no dog in the fight) mentioned how they were sorry for NK pilots in FL and how they had to go to JFK or downgrade to maintain QOL.
Here is an excerpt from Robin
"Both Fort Lauderdale and Orlando are JetBlue focus cities and the combined airline will offer 145 daily flights at FLL and more than 140 daily flights at Orlando International Airport (MCO)."
Currently we have about 70 departures out of FLL and around that in MCO (not sure). How does one expect an NK pilot based in FL has to start worrying? I guess those added flights from NK will be crewed by ghosts.
The juices are flowing on this one lol
Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk
Here is an excerpt from Robin
"Both Fort Lauderdale and Orlando are JetBlue focus cities and the combined airline will offer 145 daily flights at FLL and more than 140 daily flights at Orlando International Airport (MCO)."
Currently we have about 70 departures out of FLL and around that in MCO (not sure). How does one expect an NK pilot based in FL has to start worrying? I guess those added flights from NK will be crewed by ghosts.
The juices are flowing on this one lol
Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk
Love the blue and yellow Kool aid, pretty funny.
07-28-2022 | 09:22 AM
#53
Line Holder
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 759
Likes: 52
Until DOJ approval, the airlines can't merge anything, and in fact JB won't even be able to make the purchase, let alone have ownership of Spirit. That's 12-24 months away. Until then they are 99.9% separate companies, other than any MUTUAL agreement between the two managements of how to manage the separate companies. As such, both companies will continue to grow and compete as if they are separate, because they are. It is also possible that the DOJ never approves the transaction, which is why both companies will continue to grow and compete individually.
It is also in JB's long term interest for Spirit to grow and ideally manage a good airline.
It is also in JB's long term interest for Spirit to grow and ideally manage a good airline.
07-28-2022 | 09:31 AM
#54
Line Holder
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,163
Likes: 36
B6 Comm's
For the NK pilots. Here's the comm's we received on our side this morning.
Dear Crewmembers,
I have great news to share. We have reached an agreement to buy Spirit Airlines to create a low-fare, customer-centric competitor to the Big Four airlines. This is exciting news, including for the many Crewmembers who have wanted us to accelerate our growth, especially in the focus cities outside of the Northeast and in legacy carrier hubs across the US.
Spirit's Airbus fleet and network fit perfectly with ours, and together with their 10,000 team members, we will fly more routes in more cities faster than we could on our own. Once Spirit is integrated into JetBlue we’ll be the nation's fifth largest airline, with about 9% market share. We'll still be smaller than the Big Four airlines, but with more than 1,700 daily flights we'll have more opportunities to challenge those legacy carriers to lower their fares and step up their game — just as we've been doing for 22 years.
A bigger JetBlue is good for Crewmembers, too. Whether you work on the front line or in the support center, a larger airline will provide more career and flying opportunities, as well as more investment in programs like JetBlue Scholars, our Gateways program and Support Center pathways.
The combined airline will be based in New York, but we will use this combination to expand our presence and grow jobs in Central and South Florida as well. We're looking forward to welcoming Spirit's team members into JetBlue once the deal closes. We've now had a chance to meet with Spirit's team face to face and have come to a very friendly place with them. I'm confident we will work very well together after closing. And we want all of Spirit's team members to feel welcome here at JetBlue. If you happen to talk to Spirit's team members on the line or while you are traveling, please share a little of that blue juice with them and let them know how excited we are that they will be joining us.
I know many of you will have your own questions about how we are going to integrate JetBlue and Spirit. It's important, though, we don't get ahead of ourselves. It will take quite some time before we are one airline. In fact, until Spirit's shareholders and the government approve our deal, we remain two separate companies with independent operations. And once we have gotten the green light to move forward, there will still be a lot of work to do to function as one, including sunsetting the Spirit brand, retrofitting their fleet and bringing together our operating and ticketing systems. We are also looking forward to learning from the Spirit team and bringing the best of the airline into JetBlue.
Now, while it's a long way off; when the time comes to consider incorporating our teams, especially combining unionized and non-union groups and groups with different unions, we're committed to working with our respective people and labor leaders to ensure a larger JetBlue is a winning proposition for all Crewmembers. And we will, of course, follow the law that governs seniority integration for our industry. All of this will not happen overnight though. Between JetBlue and Spirit, we'll put a great team in place to get the job done and we'll keep you posted in the months ahead.
Today is a day to celebrate though, I know there's a lot to manage in our day-to-day business right now, but we can't let that stop us from making game-changing moves that set us up for our future. By acquiring Spirit, we are making an important investment that will benefit us for the long term. In five or ten years we will look back on this as another defining moment for JetBlue, one that gave our one-of-a-kind airline with a brand that people love, award-winning service and everyday low fares, the opportunity to reach more people in more places than we ever have before. Thanks for all you are doing and we'll talk much more about this in the weeks and months ahead.
Robin Hayes
Chief Executive Officer
Dear Crewmembers,
I have great news to share. We have reached an agreement to buy Spirit Airlines to create a low-fare, customer-centric competitor to the Big Four airlines. This is exciting news, including for the many Crewmembers who have wanted us to accelerate our growth, especially in the focus cities outside of the Northeast and in legacy carrier hubs across the US.
Spirit's Airbus fleet and network fit perfectly with ours, and together with their 10,000 team members, we will fly more routes in more cities faster than we could on our own. Once Spirit is integrated into JetBlue we’ll be the nation's fifth largest airline, with about 9% market share. We'll still be smaller than the Big Four airlines, but with more than 1,700 daily flights we'll have more opportunities to challenge those legacy carriers to lower their fares and step up their game — just as we've been doing for 22 years.
A bigger JetBlue is good for Crewmembers, too. Whether you work on the front line or in the support center, a larger airline will provide more career and flying opportunities, as well as more investment in programs like JetBlue Scholars, our Gateways program and Support Center pathways.
The combined airline will be based in New York, but we will use this combination to expand our presence and grow jobs in Central and South Florida as well. We're looking forward to welcoming Spirit's team members into JetBlue once the deal closes. We've now had a chance to meet with Spirit's team face to face and have come to a very friendly place with them. I'm confident we will work very well together after closing. And we want all of Spirit's team members to feel welcome here at JetBlue. If you happen to talk to Spirit's team members on the line or while you are traveling, please share a little of that blue juice with them and let them know how excited we are that they will be joining us.
I know many of you will have your own questions about how we are going to integrate JetBlue and Spirit. It's important, though, we don't get ahead of ourselves. It will take quite some time before we are one airline. In fact, until Spirit's shareholders and the government approve our deal, we remain two separate companies with independent operations. And once we have gotten the green light to move forward, there will still be a lot of work to do to function as one, including sunsetting the Spirit brand, retrofitting their fleet and bringing together our operating and ticketing systems. We are also looking forward to learning from the Spirit team and bringing the best of the airline into JetBlue.
Now, while it's a long way off; when the time comes to consider incorporating our teams, especially combining unionized and non-union groups and groups with different unions, we're committed to working with our respective people and labor leaders to ensure a larger JetBlue is a winning proposition for all Crewmembers. And we will, of course, follow the law that governs seniority integration for our industry. All of this will not happen overnight though. Between JetBlue and Spirit, we'll put a great team in place to get the job done and we'll keep you posted in the months ahead.
Today is a day to celebrate though, I know there's a lot to manage in our day-to-day business right now, but we can't let that stop us from making game-changing moves that set us up for our future. By acquiring Spirit, we are making an important investment that will benefit us for the long term. In five or ten years we will look back on this as another defining moment for JetBlue, one that gave our one-of-a-kind airline with a brand that people love, award-winning service and everyday low fares, the opportunity to reach more people in more places than we ever have before. Thanks for all you are doing and we'll talk much more about this in the weeks and months ahead.
Robin Hayes
Chief Executive Officer
07-28-2022 | 10:26 AM
#58
Reserve Life
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 98
Likes: 0
From: A320 FO
I’d appreciate if someone could clarify this for me, but I assume work on a JCBA will start in the not too distant future. However, once it’s finished, what’s the soonest it can go into effect? I of course want to use all the leverage we have to get the best JCBA possible, just curious if there is an actual official point in the process it can or cannot go into effect.
07-28-2022 | 10:27 AM
#59
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 4,174
Likes: 157
I’d appreciate if someone could clarify this for me, but I assume work on a JCBA will start in the not too distant future. However, once it’s finished, what’s the soonest it can go into effect? I of course want to use all the leverage we have to get the best JCBA possible, just curious if there is an actual official point in the process it can or cannot go into effect.
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