Originally Posted by chinookwinds

Additional question….Is the training done by in-house instructors and if so is there a need for additional instructors??
Thanks again for the intel!!

Originally Posted by NedsKid

Base Seniority: The latest vacancy bid (pilots bid for open positions based on seniority) shows you can hold FLL before you even finish new-hire training, and FLL is the second most junior base (the 3rd most junior pilot in the entire company - hired in November and still in training was awarded FLL).

Currently, DTW, FLL, DFW, and ACY can be held directly out of training, LAS takes 1 month to hold (you'd have to be based somewhere else for 1 month), and ORD is the most senior FO base, taking 1-2 months to hold.

Health care = good. United Health Care for medical, VSP for vision, Aetna for Dental.

• Medical: Two PSO plans, an EPO plan, and a Healthfund plan
• Vision: 1 plan
• Dental: A PPO and a DMO
• Health Care FSA
• Dependent Care FSA
• Company Life Insurance (no cost) + additional life insurance from Company and/or ALPA
• Disability (LT Care and Buy-up, both Company and ALPA)

Fully optioned out (most expensive everything), a family plan will cost around $7K a year, and get you a less than $800 total family deductible, around $10 office co-pay, and 100% coverage on anything and everything after your deductible. Obviously, the cheaper plans give you less coverage, but cost less. Lowest way out (employee only, cheapest everything) is about $75 a year, and get you a less than $1600 deductible, and 90% coverage after your deductible on anything and everything. (all figures are slightly off the actual #'s, since I'm not sure if this stuff is confidential).




In general, lines are not assembled to be 'commutable', per se, but most trips are commutable on one end or the other, and some are commutable on both, or neither. Seniority makes everything better, of course. Currently, LAS trips often start with a red-eye flight shortly after 0000 (good = commutable on the front end, bad = red-eye), ACY has the fewest 4 day trips, and FLL, DFW, and ORD all have similar trips, though FLL also has 'stand-up' or 'continuous duty over-night' turns down to everywhere we fly in the Caribbean/Central America that is 3.5 hours or less flying time from FLL.

Commuting policy (official policy, in the contract) is 2 options arriving prior to your showtime on any airline. If you miss the first, call scheduling. They have the option of buying you a ticket, releasing you from duty (without pay), or telling you to try the next one and call back (this is what they do EVERY time it seems). Unlimited use, no penalties. We're professionals here. Pilots make every effort to arrive on time, and call in honest when they can't make it as soon as they realize it's hopeless. The company understands pilots make every effort to get to work, and doesn't waste their time with empty threats and hot air.

What specifically do you want to know about pairings and commuting?

Originally Posted by NedsKid

Base Seniority: Pilots make every effort to arrive on time, and call in honest when they can't make it as soon as they realize it's hopeless. The company understands pilots make every effort to get to work, and doesn't waste their time with empty threats and hot air.

Originally Posted by NedsKid

………….

In general, lines are not assembled to be 'commutable', per se, but most trips are commutable on one end or the other, and some are commutable on both, or neither. Seniority makes everything better, of course. Currently, LAS trips often start with a red-eye flight shortly after 0000 (good = commutable on the front end, bad = red-eye), ACY has the fewest 4 day trips, and FLL, DFW, and ORD all have similar trips, though FLL also has 'stand-up' or 'continuous duty over-night' turns down to everywhere we fly in the Caribbean/Central America that is 3.5 hours or less flying time from FLL.

Commuting policy (official policy, in the contract) is 2 options arriving prior to your showtime on any airline. If you miss the first, call scheduling. They have the option of buying you a ticket, releasing you from duty (without pay), or telling you to try the next one and call back (this is what they do EVERY time it seems). Unlimited use, no penalties. We're professionals here. Pilots make every effort to arrive on time, and call in honest when they can't make it as soon as they realize it's hopeless. The company understands pilots make every effort to get to work, and doesn't waste their time with empty threats and hot air.

What specifically do you want to know about pairings and commuting?

Originally Posted by NedsKid

100% in-house. That said, all 'classroom' instruction is done by non-seniority list Spirit employees who have no airline flying or actual Airbus flight experience. A professional ground instructor does our re-current. We hire Embry Riddle grads to teach new-hire in-doc and systems (they teach for 2 years, then get to interview for a Spirit pilot position). All flight training device and sims are taught by line pilots pilots on the seniority list, and all orals and check-rides are done by seniority list pilots who fly the line.

Originally Posted by NedsKid

100% in-house. That said, all 'classroom' instruction is done by non-seniority list Spirit employees who have no airline flying or actual Airbus flight experience. A professional ground instructor does our re-current. We hire Embry Riddle grads to teach new-hire in-doc and systems (they teach for 2 years, then get to interview for a Spirit pilot position). All flight training device and sims are taught by line pilots pilots on the seniority list, and all orals and check-rides are done by seniority list pilots who fly the line.

Originally Posted by Pirate

How does one get to become one of the instructor pilots? All training is done in FLL, right? Do you need to be a Captain first or are there FO instructors? Is the position senior or could one become an instructor relatively quickly with an instructor background? Thanks in advance!

Originally Posted by Pirate

Is the Spirit training program AQP?