weasil

It's like airline apps.com. Full employment history, logbook totals etc...

ShyGuy

Yes.

Last union drive failed due to a technicality on signatures and dates on the union drive cards. Stupid mistake, and it reset the clock one year before another union drive.

You really had to go there? Then I'll address it:

BS if you think a FO at my seniority makes 20% more at Spirit. As a second year FO, I had them beat on first year pay. And the guys who started at NK at the same time I started here, they are on reserve at FLL. For May I credit 100 hrs with 15 days off. $70/hr is a little better than the 67.54 /hr my 2nd year friend gets, and he is still reserve 2nd year FO. Reserve is still reserve no matter how you cut it. 3rd year I'll be 80 and he 76.21. Congrats on your conflicts, trip removals, and some guys crediting 115+ hrs. I don't care, I'm happy with my schedule. I never worked a day that I needed off, because I got it off.

As for staffing, the main reason is your conflicts in PBS and removals associated with that. The company has to staff more because of that reason. Otherwise you'd be similar-sized. I'm glad you have the conflict rules, it serves you well and you bank on that $$ big time. Congrats. I don't have conflicts like that, but there are still goodies here. 3 weeks vacation in your 2nd year. No other airline has 3 weeks that soon, so it's a nice perk. 1 week off vacation you can easily get 3-4 days off on both sides so it's really 2 weeks off from each vacation week. I got 2 personal days per year which I pre-assign to guarantee me that off. Those personal days are in addition to 3 weeks vacation.

As for the payscale and longevity comments, of course. VX started flying in 2007 so you have to keep it relative. Most junior CA at VX was hired Feb 2010 and is at $126/hr (a hypothetical 3rd year CA today at Spirit would be at 107/hr yikes). Your negotiating capital was spent at the years 7 and beyond for CAs, because that's where junior CAs were anyway. Capital was not spent on Captains year 1-7. Although it seems now finally at DOS+3, the lower level longevity steps of CAs takes a serious hike. You sold out your FOs first year, 38.50/hr duration of contract = yikes. Your 401k is nice, ours sucks.

Is there really a point to all this? The theme is: a comment is made on Spirit's fees or business practice. Certain (and I literally mean the same 3 of you) NK pilots take it personally, and attack with "I make more than you" comments.

It's all relative. I'm glad you enjoy what you have. I enjoy what I have. Why can't we all leave it at that. So what if one group has one thing, the other has another? As I said my exact counterpart at NK is a FLL reserve FO. He beotches plenty. Hell, I know junior Delta pilots and they complain plenty too.

It's all relative. Who cares. Seriously.

Sailor

Obviously you do, since you cant stop flapping your gator, go back to your loo.
It just seems to us all (APC) that wherever you go to comment, is just to start some cr0p about something or to defend the inability of your beloved virgin to break a profit and come out of the closet.

ShyGuy

Yup, one of the 3 mentioned above.

JoeyMeatballs

I'm not sure what airline Shyguy hates more, Pinnacle or Spirit, lol

ShyGuy

Never hated Spirit. Traveled on them, like them, I've been treated nicely. My comment on a certain fee (unintended consequences of DOT regulations) set off butthurt and attacked with pay and profitability snapbacks. But it's the same 3 people, so nothing new there.

Plane Ramrod

Hmm... Wonder if I posted on the VX board "How do you guys expect to turn a profit, giving everything away for 'free'? What a BS business concept". Think I'd get a little blow back from your fellow Virgins?

One point on the staffing. I don't know how many hours per day you guys average per plane, but we fly the heck out of them. Transition is nice, but the high block is all month long.

Sailor

Funny, you keep coming back with questions about things that pilots can't control, half the time we some of us don't have the answer, nor we care to know. And we are gonna keep dishing it to you sweetheart, I myself don't feel sorry if you are offended. Grow up.

shiftwork

...any of you other NK pilots flown with ex-Virgin guys? They are amazed at how full NKs planes are but how "crummy" NK crew lounges are, aaaah go figure

Welcome to the "JUNGLE" baby!!!!! .......we gots funds and games

TTOCSMCC

Pilots do the same job at either airline, point A to point B. Many want to show how smart they are to have made some brilliant career moves, but really its all about luck. Back in the '07, '08 timeframe there was a lot of turmoil at Spirit and some of our pilots left for the promise of greener pastures at Virgin America. Maybe Shyguy will fly with them and ask if they regret their choice.

On the subject of staffing, Spirits planes spend a lot more time actually airborne, generating revenue. I think this is the main reason the staffing is different.

Also Spirit is an airline that the press, people in general, and even some pilots love to hate. The various fees just feed the fire, doesn't matter that a savvy consumer can avoid the fees they don't want to pay. As pilots it doesn't impact the performance of our job, except perhaps that there is a lot of hiring going on and upward mobility.