ATL Base
 

Regarding the ATL base, is it junior? Are there good trips out of ATL or do you just reposition to another base to do trips there?

What about the JetBlue merger? How will it effect the ATL base? Will the base close and/or get flooded with senior JB pilots?

Any indications as to what will happen during the merger? Tack all Spirit pilots to the bottom of the JetBlue list or some sort of integration?

I know there are a lot of "crystal ball" type questions here. I am just interested in what anyone might be hearing. ATL base would be the main reason I would come to Spirit.

The only one of those questions anyone can answer with 100% certainty is that it will NOT be a staple to the bottom.

Any answers to your other questions will be pure opinion and speculation.

Most bases at spirit outside ord and Texas are junior. Not always achievable out of training but certainly within the next 1 or 2 bids. Don’t know about trips but if your goal is to go somewhere with a specific base who cares about the trips out of that base. Being based somewhere has little to do with the trips you run. You could end up deadheading to an outstation or another base to fly a particular route or end up in another base as part of your trip and flying any route out of that base. The deal with jet blue hasn’t even closed financially or cleared regulations. No one knows how being absorbed will affect operations.

October 3rd new hire here. A few guys in my class looking for Atlanta as well but we all got Vegas or FLL assigned during the first bid as expected. Based on the what if, seems the earliest person to get Atlanta was 180 people ahead of me in seniority. So not too far fetched but definitely not straight out of training as of now.

They are slowly growing it, so should be attainable in ~6 months or less.

And hopefully you'll be at Delta by then. Get the type, apply, and get ATL and a big fat raise right out of training!

Honestly, I think opening keeping the base in The A T L will probably help with attrition, at least a little. Someone around my seniority (5 years) just left for Big D, and he wouldn't have left if we had a JetBlue base in ATL. He just got tired of commuting.

Are Spirit captains leaving for the majors or just FOs?

67 have left this year.

Slowly coming to the realization that a commute from PNS to ATL (if able to get based there) is going to be very, very challenging. Then add in the majority being 1-2 day trips...makes it very unattractive for a commuter.

Could anyone based in ATL provide best case scenarios if trying to maximize days worked in a row in order to minimize # of times commuting each month? Both in terms of a line holder and on reserve? Thanks for any info!

commuting is awful. with pred bid you can bid to be on rsv 5-6 in a row or a line with 6 in a row.

You can bid to work more then 6 in a row as a lineholder.

That sounds miserable. PNS is one of the worst to any hub city I’d assume bc of all the ex-mil. I’d say move, deal with it, or enjoy the mil pension and adjust lifestyle accordingly.

PNS/ORF/CHS/SAV & DFW are typically the most difficult commute cities out of ATL.