Trying to negotiate a contract for two years. Airline has never been more profitable but pays their pilots less than half of what airlines like Allegiant or Southwest do. I don't blame the pilots of being upset.
Pilots who are smart will use Spirit to build up their time and then go somewhere else.
They can quit and go work for Southwest.
Fine. They're upset -- I would be, too.
But putting your employer out of business isn't much of a solution.
I don’t blame the pilots being upset, but they could have scheduled a walk out so the passengers wouldn’t be waiting at the gate waiting for hours have time to reschedule their flights. Doing this shows no regard for the customers and just treats the passengers like sh&t.
I certainly don’t condone brawling as a proper reaction.
If someone is dissatisfied with their pay and their employer does not give them a raise, move on.
Low time pilots initially hired by the airlines are usually put on the feeder routes and paid a pittance. I’m not sure what it is now, but 12 years or so ago they were making under $20,000/year.
In 1978 I got out of the USMC as a Captain, over 10 years, with flight pay and married housing allowance and making $24,000/year. While riding a Greyhound bus, I asked the driver what one would be making after 6 to 10 years with the company. (while flying in the USMC, we’d joked about being aerial bus drivers)
The bus driver replied, “Oh, about $36,000/yr.
Pilots fly with Spirit or any other airline because they love flying. They see the lesser paying jobs as stepping stones to the better paying ones.