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from the sun sentinel website
Hundreds Spirit Airlines passengers were at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport before dawn Friday because their flights were "pre-cancelled" or suddenly re-routed in anticipation of a possible strike by the carrier's pilots, WTVJ-Ch. 6 reported.
A few of the stranded passengers told the station they were told that some Spirit pilots were calling in sick, as the strike threat loomed, but it was not possible to immediately confirm that information.
Spirit Airlines and its pilots have until midnight to avoid a strike that could take a severe toll on Broward County.
With about 150 daily flights, Spirit accounts for nearly one in five passengers at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The airline employs nearly 1,300 people at the airport.
Spirit and leaders of its pilots union have been mum on the details of contract talks or the chance of a resolution. But passengers already are feeling the strain.
The airline canceled some flights Thursday in Fort Lauderdale and in Orlando, although officials didn't say whether those flights were shut down in anticipation of a possible strike.
Among the cancellations for Friday were departures from Fort Lauderdale to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
"Spirit has pre-canceled some flights and is proactively contacting customers of these affected flights in advance with a choice of alternate travel options," Spirit spokeswoman Misty Pinson said in an e-mail Thursday.
She said the moves are meant to "shield customers" in the event of a strike and did not provide further details.
Some Spirit passengers headed for San Jose, Costa Rica, on Flight 336 Thursday were stranded at the Fort Lauderdale airport after the carrier canceled the 10:48 a.m. flight; others on the flight were re-routed through other carriers.
"It's taken five hours to get through one [canceled] flight, and I think if there's a strike this airline is going to be in big trouble," said Ed Dean, of Naples.
In Orlando, passengers said Saturday and Sunday flights scheduled to depart for San Juan, Puerto Rico, have been canceled.
Spirit passenger Ethel Nieves, a sales assistant for Univision in Puerto Rico, said Spirit informed her the flights were canceled because it did not have airplane equipment available for departures.
"I'm tired and I want to go home," said Nieves, who has spent two weeks touring Orlando theme parks with her son, daughter, son-in-law and six grandchildren.
Spirit passengers can call the company's reservations line at 1-800-772-7117 to confirm flight availability. Those concerned about disruptions should research flights on other carriers, travel experts say, and consider buying a non-refundable ticket on an alternate carrier if they plan to fly Saturday or Sunday.
Canceling an existing reservation and rescheduling will likely trigger Spirit's change fee, which is at least $100.
Spirit pilots plan to picket at the Fort Lauderdale airport and another nearby site starting at 10:30 p.m. Friday, ahead of the strike deadline. On Wednesday, picketing Spirit pilots were joined by pilots who work for more than a dozen different carriers.
Pilots say securing a favorable contract at Spirit is key for two reasons: More pilot contract negotiations are coming to a head at other airlines and issues of pilot fatigue and overtime are being fought across the industry.
Capt. Sean Creed, head of Spirit's unit of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), said pilots want pay similar to wages at chief competitors JetBlue Airways and AirTran Airways, where a 12-year captain earns at least $158 per hour and a five-year first officer earns at least $80 per hour. Pilots also want the company to continue current time-off, vacation time and retirement benefits.
"At the end of the day, this isn't about going on strike," said Paul Hopkins, strike manager for Spirit's ALPA unit. "The last thing we want is flights canceled."
Spirit is the largest carrier at Fort Lauderdale airport with 19 percent of the domestic traffic and 41 percent of the international traffic. It provides exclusive service to 14 international routes in Latin America and the Caribbean. More than 300 people work at its corporate headquarters in Miramar.
At Palm Beach International Airport, Spirit flies seasonally and represents about 1 percent of the total year-round operations. Spirit does not serve Miami International Airport.
Spirit spokeswoman Misty Pinson said the airline is still committed to setting the labor dispute, but is prepared to work with other carriers to fly passengers if the pilots strike. She declined to provide details on contingency plans for passengers.
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