Dumb question: does spirit bring the pilots and flight attendants back home?
Posted by jilemc@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 51 comments
With them closing down - if the cabin crew and flight crew are not currently at their “home base,” would spirit be responsible in ensuring they return home from where they are in the world? Or they have to figure it on their own?
MungaMike@reddit
SWA did something really classy for one Spirit captain. Spirit shutdown just before his retirement flight home. His son is a SWA first officer and was with him. SWA was going to get him and his son home. But then his son mentioned to the SWA Captain the situation. Captain called ops and they arranged not only a water cannon salute on arrival into Baltimore, but a greeting party at the gate with a bottle of Champaign. I think someone was cutting fresh onions at the gate.
Fluid_Passenger4771@reddit
Very classy. Happy retirement to the pilot.
ResidentAd9399@reddit
Nope I'm a captain and my crew had to find are way home. We rented a SUV and driving home.
Zahille7@reddit
I think it's absolutely shameful that a/the company can just do that.
Like they can just shut down with next to zero notice, and when they do you're just SOL even if you're across the damn country.
Sandersonville@reddit
With pockets full of snacks, in flight refreshments and anything else on the plane that wasn’t bolted down…
I flew Spirit a couple times between California and Tennessee. Had a great experience and nothing bad to say! Sorry you and your crew are stuck high and dry like this! It’ll become a good / interesting story to tell later.
Very_phoenix@reddit
It might be a little personal but do you guys expect to find new jobs quickly now ?
reddituserperson1122@reddit
If you’re pilot flying when they shut down do you get to keep the plane?
T33-L@reddit
Yes. But there’s no one to pay the bills for it landing, so you just have to ditch it in a river
crackerblind@reddit
Isn't this what I-95 is for?
IncredibleVelocity4@reddit
Saigon ‘75. Just fly real low and jump out.
LordIffyBoatrace@reddit
New York '09 Ride it and glide it all the way down to the water.
Decent-Thought3339@reddit
Cactus style.
34786t234890@reddit
Seriously though, where are all of their planes now? Are they just left at gates?
Vespajet@reddit
If not parked at gates, they'll be towed to remote parking areas and cargo ramps elsewhere on the airport property. I remember during the Pandemic, some airlines parked so many planes that airports closed entire runways in order to have somewhere to park planes.
Icy_Huckleberry_8049@reddit
Yep, entire runways & taxiways were blocked with parked airplanes at a lot of airports.
CaptainPonahawai@reddit
UPS and fedex MD11s are sitting similarly at tons of airports. As there is no ferry permit, theyre parked where they were when the UPS crash happened.
lampypete@reddit
Yes, parked at gates wherever they last chocked. There will be a big repo op to return them to lessors
AgKnight14@reddit
Are there crews based at airports who can move the planes to a holding area or do they have to wait for a repo pilot? I’d imagine some of these gates are in high demand
NotACompleteDick@reddit
There are ground crew who are cleared to taxi the aircraft, usually behind a tug. The ground crew engineers have encyclopedic knowledge of the aircraft and systems. Watch Stig Shift on youtube and he's often moving aircraft to and from maintenance. He is not a pilot.
Difficult_Camel_1119@reddit
planes can be towed without pilots
snarkle_and_shine@reddit
Are there gate fees paid by the airline? If so, is it charged per day or per flight? Thx
Level-Ad-1627@reddit
Per 15 minute block (or part there of) normally
But obviously varies per airport. Some might be per minute etc
Un4442nate@reddit
I remember the procession of planes crossing Europe to Ireland when Malev ceased ops. Sadly they all passed a bit too south of me to see them and see them off.
NotACompleteDick@reddit
Maintenance folks will move them if they are in the way. They won't be there long. There is vast demand for A320 series aircraft and crews.
thisismynewacct@reddit
Asking the real questions
Blue387@reddit
Just roll it into your garage and put a tarp on it
ilfusionjeff@reddit
They said it on the news last night. They are using whatever is in their cash reserves to provide partial refunds to customers and get their 1300 or so crew back home.
Icy_Huckleberry_8049@reddit
NO, they will arrange flights home for them on other airlines or other airlines will offer to get them home.
Pilots can already ride on the JS of other airlines if there is room for them.
flyingcircusdog@reddit
Spirit won't, other airlines will. They don't legally have to, but pretty much all airlines do this as a courtesy to other workers hurt by the change.
ubergic@reddit
"Put your attitude in your pocket." That's brilliant, I love it.
allnamestaken1968@reddit
United announced some help although it still sounds like they have to pay something
Bear__Toe@reddit
Someone will get them home.
From a pragmatic perspective, there’s not exactly a huge surplus of pilots out there with thousands of hours in an a320. Every COO with an airbus fleet is thinking about how leverage this, and jumpseats are a really inexpensive way to build goodwill.
From a human perspective, no one wants to be stranded, and crews try to take care of each other.
JodyGonnaFuckYoWife@reddit
I can find around 2,000 or so.
FatSteveWasted9@reddit
What a wild thing to say
WhalerBum@reddit
No you can’t.
KJ3040@reddit
The other airlines will try and get stranded crews home. Jumpseat committees usually send out “leave no one behind” bulletins.
ResidentAd9399@reddit
That's funny bc they told use we had to find are way home. Coming from a captain of Sprint Airlines.
sharkbite217@reddit
Except spirit pilots are now technically not employed by an airline so they aren’t in CASS anymore.
I forget who, but either United or ALPA sent out an email that spirit pilots are no longer allowed in the Jumpseat, just a cabin seat.
Mljcj19@reddit
They have CASS until 11pm tonight
GuaranteeUnhappy3342@reddit
ALPA and most American carriers are pretty good about it. I was on medical leave when the last company I flew for shut down. We had crews scattered around the world. ALPA did great work helping them get home. The company didn’t give a shit about them!
Morganrow@reddit
As long as it happens soon. This is the official language from the union:
"CASS is currently active. Cockpit jumpseat access is still available. The ALPA National Jumpseat Chair has been notified and is coordinating with partner carriers now. Additional jumpseat confirmations will be communicated as they are received. If you need to get home, do not wait.
If you non-revved for personal travel and are away from home: Stand by for further operational guidance. We are working to confirm what accommodations are available to you. Please also continue to check Company communication channels and spa.alpa.org for updates. Do not assume you are on your own."
Pilot0160@reddit
That’s interesting. SWA said they don’t have cockpit JS due to loss of CASS once the company ceased operations
anonymous4071@reddit
They’re active in CASS until 2300 tonight.
asmrhead@reddit
The pilots and FAs will still have their "OAL" (Other Air Line) travel privileges that their partner airlines will honor for at least the next week.
Vespajet@reddit
When an airline suddenly shuts down and leaves passengers and crew stuck somewhere, they are pretty much fending for themselves. In the case of Spirit, pretty much every US carrier is offering discounted fares to Spirit passengers and flight crews are being offered jumpseat access whenever possible. Airlines may upgauge equipment on some routes or even add extra flights to handle the demand.
AgKnight14@reddit
I’m by no means an expert on any of these topics, but I assumed the other airlines were somewhere between exploring and ready to add flights on several Spirit routes. All those people who would’ve flown on spirit will still be there going forward
Vespajet@reddit
But airlines can't immediately pivot to cover the increased demand on some of their routes due to the folding of Spirit. Some airlines are currently dealing with staffing issues affecting flights and causing delays and cancellations.
AgKnight14@reddit
Not immediately but relatively quickly. Delta added a bunch of flights and upgraded aircraft in the days following the CrowdStrike outage. But my point is that the other airlines were probably already preparing for Spirit to go under before last night
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FelisCantabrigiensis@reddit
Spirit the company, no. It has ceased operations and has a very limited ability to pay for anything including travel for employees, their salaries, etc. The employees are pretty much on their own, unfortunately.
Other airlines are offering Spirit employees (or soon to be ex-employees) travel on a spare seat / jumpseat basis to get them home.