Go with the fleet plan that spiritair.com has under investor relations.
Hiring as plan, 12-16 a month, according to deliveries.
Anything else is just speculation and rumor.
We dont know more than what you do.

Next year interesting, yes, but no more than this one. In the last 2 months there were enough rumors for a whole year here. So, just 7 ac's and the necessary crews, maybe a new base (rumor).

 

thx, i checked it out, interesting...

 

Any FO's having trouble bidding REL lines for NOV?! Keeps saying 'bid not available' every time I try and put in a REL line (146-156)

 

Oooooookay, nevermind. Thanks for the input; dicks..........

 

How Jr./Sr. did the DFW base go or has it been posted yet?

 

No involuntary displacements to DFW! The company and ALPA worked the staffing to ensure that no current pilot on the list would be forced to DFW. Nice gesture - hopefully a sign of ALPA and the company working to solve other issues.

Junior DFW FO is 96% down the list, DOH is 6/4/2012.

Junior DFW CA is 58% down the list, DOH 9/17/2007, the most junior CA in the company.

Essentially, if your global seniority allows you to hold Captain:

• you can hold any base but DTW (lots of FLL CA's waiting to bid back to DTW and DTW FO's who can hold CA in other bases waiting for DTW CA)
• can choose between being a junior line holder in DFW, LAS, or ACY or take whatever nobody else wants in FLL after a couple months

For FO's, the current situation is even less complex:

• new hire FO's are going to ACY initially
• you can usually bid out of ACY after 1 month to another base, and can get into any base in around 6 months
• If your global seniority allows you to hold a line in one base, you can hold a line in any base.
• DTW is the most senior if you had to pick one base as being the senior base for FO's (likely only b/c of the group of senior DTW FO's who choose not to upgrade, lowering the number of remaining slots in DTW a bit)

This is the case currently, as long as the hiring continues. If the hiring stops, the whole train comes to a halt, and, if you're the caboose, you could get stuck in a base until hiring starts up again. Deliveries are planned out for the next couple years (A320's, then A320 NEO's on firm order), so the hiring shouldn't stop, baring an 2008-style economic recession or a 2001 freak event. We've grown around 20% each year recently (RASM, RPM's, revenue, etc.), but we're still small, so these #'s can continue for a bit without too much difficulty. Quick math will show you that our pilot group has roughly doubled in the past 5 years . . . and we didn't hire anyone between July 2008 and January 2011. So, 50% of our pilots were hired in a 32 month period. Since January 2007, we've either been hiring as fast as we can, or we've had guys on furlough (summer of 2008, last guys back on a mandatory recall Jan 2011).

My opinion only below (no facts here, just pure speculation for those interested in a career with Spirit, wanting to know what one guy's 'crystal ball' says):

• FLL will operate at a reduced size for the next couple years. Long term, we will not be as 'FLL centric' as we are now - FLL will see minimal growth in the future, while other areas will account for growth
• Expect to see more of our destinations served through LAS, ORD and DFW (and BWI?), and with greater frequency. "Connect the dots" between current destinations, while using ORD and DFW to route transcon traffic through a northern and southern gateway that is also a huge O&D market, and BWI and LAS to route North/South traffic along the coasts
• New growth out of DFW to serve more destinations in Mexico and/or many of the same places in central america we already serve out of FLL

Again, I stress, I have no inside info, no 'source' other than my imagination and publicly available press releases.

Upgrade for today's new hire could be in less than 5 years . . . if the growth continues. Spirit will be attending a job fair in ATL November 3, 2012 (Aero Crew Solutions - Home).


Good luck to all the furloughed/laid-off pilots looking to get on here.

AStar, Midwest, Commair (fellow ALPA pilots) - you deserve a chance @ a new beginning, if you so choose, after the hand you've been dealt. Put your calls in to your friends here, go down to ATL, put on a smile, and come get these jobs! I know it sucks to start over at the bottom, but if you can leave the past behind, we'd love to have you.

Sorry for the length, guys.

 

not too long at all, very informative. much appreciated!

 

---------->Agreed 100%

 

This pilot will be in ATL for the job fair!! Hoping it goes really well-good luck to everyone else attending as well!

 

Your not on vacation next month are you DBag?