Spirit pilots agree on new contract

A new contract has been approved by pilots of low-cost carrier Spirit
Airlines according to a union representative Friday. This past June the pilots
went on strike for almost a week, grounding hundreds of Spirit flights and
making travel a complete nightmare for thousands of passengers.

Under the new five year deal, the pilots will receive a “substantial” pay
raise, with captains receiving a 10 percent increase and first officers
receiving an 18 percent increase. What’s more, the entire pilot group will be given
a signing bonus.

An overwhelming 96 percent of qualified Spirit pilots voted on the offer,
with 74 percent in favor of it.

Spirit pilots had been working on a new deal since October 2006 and finally walked
off the job June 12 after talks fell through. A tentative agreement was made on
June 16. The Spirit strike was the first U.S. airline to have workers picket
since Northwest Airlines mechanics did so in 2005.

Source: ATW