Spirit Airlines and its pilots, represented by the Airline Pilots Association International (ALPA), have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract and flights will resume Friday, June 18. To thank its customers for their support during the weeklong strike, Spirit is offering customers a coupon for $50 off their next flight and 5,000 FREE SPIRIT bonus miles.
The contract, which was unanimously recommended by the union’s leadership, is subject to ratification by the pilot membership which is planned for July. Pending ratification, Spirit’s pilots are returning to work and Spirit recommends that customers reconfirm their flights at www.spiritair.com.
In a statement, Spirit thanked the National Mediation Board, its pilots, employees and ALPA for their dedication throughout the process. Spirit said the result was a fair and equitable agreement that will ensure the long-term stability of the company, and allow Spirit to continue offering its customers ultra low fares.
“I am pleased that we were able to fashion a constructive solution to our differences that will allow us to resume serving our customers,” said Captain Sean Creed, head of the Spirit unit of ALPA.
“We are excited to be back flying with low fares for our customers,” said Ben Baldanza, president and CEO of Spirit. “Our pilots worked hard to get a mutually favorable deal that allows the Company to grow while improving their wages and benefits. We apologize to those of our customers whose travel was disrupted as a result of the strike and look forward to earning back their trust with ultra-low fares, great service, and the best pilots in the sky.”
Spirit is offering customers a coupon to save $50 off their next round-trip purchase for travel from June 18 through November 17. Customers can visit www.spiritair.com/50off to accept their coupon and book their reservation by 11:59 PM ET on June 18, 2010, and www.spiritair.com/5kmiles for their 5,000 FREE SPIRIT bonus miles.