Normann

They are telling interviewees 60-65+ more pilots are needed by the end of this year. That sounds too much to me but it may cover some planes for early 2012 as well.

lostplanetairman

Approved: Regulations.gov

CommutR4Life

Pilots too?! Or is it just for FA's?

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2011/09/29/spirit-airlines-to-host-job-fair-on.html

Plane Ramrod

" this company is hosting a job fair on Oct. 12 to fill a variety positions expected with the doubling of its aircraft fleet."

FWIW ->EXACTLY what they said in 1998... With 27 Aircraft.

Short Bus Drive

Yes. Look at the careers section on their site...

sandlapper223

I don't mean to be a killjoy or anything, but many market watchers and analysts are predicting a very large slump in stocks and the economy in every sector. Some are saying the 2007 depression will pale in comparison to what could be looming.

I guess my point is, how does Spirit fare historically, in times when the economy really tanks ala 2007 or worse? Do they buy more airplanes and expand in the wake of legacies cutting capacity? Do they park and furlough? Does fuel have a price point associated with their growth or shrinkage?

ShyGuy

Well in 2007, for what it's worth, Spirit did layoff many pilots. They have obviously since been recalled. But who knows about the future? No one can tell. Heck if I had a crystal ball, I'd take one look to see what airline would still exist by the time I'm 65, and then apply to that (those) airlines.

Normann

Good points. Last time this happened we cut capacity by 25%. Returned 7 airplanes and furloughed 125 pilots. The core problem was not so much the coming recession (albeit common belief we are not a purely vacation airline) but the high spike in oil prices combined with our low cash reserves.

Then in late 2008 when oil crashed it became clear that the drastic capacity cut was a mistake. Demand for cheap tickets remained strong. The public was more budget restricted so they were looking for cheaper ways to travel. We ended up being profitable even for 2008. Management was scrambling to replace the lost capacity but due to changes in down payment and other credit requirements for new deliveries, it took a long time to do so. We could not finance the down payments anymore.

I have no clue what will happen. I am convinced we are in a recession already. However oil did not peak as high as it did last time even with the weaker dollar. Unlike in 2008 when you could hear and feel the panic in the air, it seems we are cranking up hiring and I think the owners can't wait to jump on the opportunity to pick up any capacity that is cut by the big players.

Cheap is good when people are having less and less money. As long oil is not up in the $120s there is plenty of places where we can plug in an airplane and offer low prices. Even with the horrible PR we keep getting, wherever we have started service recently, folks showed up almost immediately. They are getting used to the product and they know what to expect. The rest of it is simple math. Ticket + charges = still less than anyone else. Some will put up with the problems, some will pay more and fly on a different airline. Soon many will not have this choice.

shiftwork

>>> perhaps take a look at Ryanair in Europe and see how it is working....?????

vandypilot

Plus Spirit has no debt now. Unlike many of the other players. I will also say its only a small percent of pax that dont like our business model. Or very tall people. These are the ones that write articles or post blogs because all they are good at doing is complaining. But they are not the customers Spirit wants. Most getting off our planes our happy with their cheap ticket.