US sees first airline strike since 2005

Pilots walked off the job at closely-held Spirit Airlines after failing to reach a contract agreement in more than three years of negotiations. The strike is the first at a US passenger airline operating on a regular schedule since 2005, when mechanics walked off the job at Northwest Airlines.

Spirit’s pilots said they are seeking pay on par with low-fare competitors JetBlue Airways, AirTran Holdings and Southwest Airlines. “Spirit pilots are willing to withdraw their services to get the contract they deserve,” John Prater, president of the Air Line Pilots Association unit at Spirit, said in a statement. The union represents 450 Spirit pilots. Spirit worked until 5 am Saturday morning to try to reach an agreement with the union, the airline said in a statement.

“We are frustrated and disappointed that our pilots have turned down an over 30 per cent increase at a cost of over $70 million over five years, while disrupting thousands of our customers and jeopardising the livelihoods of our over 2,000 employees,” Spirit Airlines President and CEO Ben Baldanza said in the statement. Spirit began pre-cancelling some flights and advised customers about alternative travel options. Spirit operates about 150 flights a day to 40 cities, mainly in the eastern US, Caribbean and Mexico. The airline and pilots union negotiated daily in the week, leading up to the walkout.