Spirit for the older guy?
 

Pretty provocative title, but here it goes...
I'm 51, coming from the wide-body overseas carrier and have a choice between ACMI carrier and the ULCC/Spirit to retire at in 14 years.
What attracts me to Spirit is the apparent ability to adjust one's schedule to either maximize income or have lots of time off.
Relatively new fleet of 320s (which I never flew but would love to try), great, and friendly team spirit (pun not intended) and choice of bases (ORD or IAH would work great for me).
How do you see this place as a potential destination airline for a guy my age? I have zero interest in flying wide body ever again (sick and tired of it), but would like the flexibility of the roster and competitive pay on par with the big guys (or close to it).
Few supplemental questions:
- what is the training timeframe and do you get to fly home on weekends?
- is there a ZED travel non rev agreement with other airlines to use?
- is the choice of base in the joining class dependent on age or anything else?

Thanks

See PM

(filler)

Keep in mind, Spirit was purchased by JetBlue, so things will change pretty quickly.

Not to mention the PW problem over the next 3 years.

There are much better options right now for just those 2 reasons alone, not including all the other reasons.

Interesting crash, was that you? (N4865G)

I've met a few guys that fit your profile here, your expectations seem to be in line with what you will get and I think you will enjoy it. From day 1 indoc to checkride will be about 60-70 days, I'm not sure how long the wait to start OE is, but probably plan another month. I did my training over Thanksgiving a few years ago and we got five days off, not sure if that is normal or not. Operating Experience (OE) is done system wide so the company will deadhead you around the system to where the check airman is to complete it. While all this is happening you put in a system bid for what base you want, availability is driven 100% by seniority. By the time you complete OE you should be able to at least hold IAH, maybe ORD if you're lucky. Plan on 6-8 months reserve in IAH, once you hold ORD probably up to 1.5 years of reserve.

The only negative thing about what you asked above is overtime. OT is tough to come by here unless you're based in MCO or FLL, guys might argue with me and there are exceptions, but it works a little different at Spirit. You can pick up open-time trips on days off IF you are a lineholder, but it's only at straight-pay. In order to get 200% you need to list for what they call X/Y list and if they call you and you take it? Then you get 200%. Not the best system IMO, but you can still easily pick up to about 90 hours credit once you are a line-holder. Other airlines you can pick up OT willy nilly at 200%, at Spirit they have to call you.

We have a lot of ZED fare partner airlines to choose from worldwide.

Hope that helps.

Nope, I did my first solo in it, then never flown it again.

Very much it does, thank you.

Hi all!


Long time lurker, first-time poster.

Interesting thread. I'm even older than the "older guy", and am considering Spirit.

At 58, I am a former CRJ pilot who got hired before the Colgan crash and never upgraded because I had a nice side gig (as an M.D.) that benefited from the schedule flexibility of single-digit right-seat seniority. Remember pre-Colgan?, pilots only needed a CMEL certificate to get hired: I have no ATP.

So -- looking at the "minimum requirements" -- I fall short only in the ATP license, however, I do have the ATP-CTP certificate (interestingly, done at the FLL Spirit training center from midnight to 4am in the Spirit sims).

Besides that, I have some 6,000 TT, 4,000 Part 121 time, and am current in a single-pilot EFIS single-engine turboprop.

I would love to fly professionally again, with the flexibility to continue practicing medicine on the side.

Two main questions:

1) Would Spirit hire me with ATP-CTP? If not, how do you recommend I get it?

2) Would this be a good fit for me?


Eager to hear some advice. And would love to know why the OP is "sick and tired" of wide-body flying... probably some good stories behind that: please share.


Regards,

/Turp

Issues:
1. You have little schedule flexibility until you can hold a line
2. Who knows what the JCBA holds (assuming there is a JCBA)?