By Andrew Compart
Aviation Week
Jun 15, 2010

With its lack of interline agreements, reliance solely on direct bookings, and limits imposed by its internal reservations system, the ongoing pilot strike at Spirit Airlines is putting the carrier in a tough spot for reaccommodating customers.

The South Florida-based, low-cost carrier, which has canceled flights through at least June 16, is not saying much about what it is doing for those customers. Its plan to wet-lease aircraft and crews to provide services during the strike (DAILY, June 7) seems to have fallen through, with carriers apparently reluctant to be seen as helping to break a pilots' union.

Louis Smith, president of the aviation career specialist site www.FltOps.com, says he believes the wet-lease option has fallen through because the Internet makes it almost impossible for pilots who cross a picket line to keep their names from being spread worldwide as strike-breakers. That's evident in the banter on all of the "underground" message boards for pilots online, he says.

"Everyone is saying ‘don't cross, don't cross, because it will ruin your career,'" Smith says. As a consequence, he says, pilots at any airline that might consider wet-leasing to Spirit are telling their bosses "if you put us in this economic warfare, we're not playing."

One consumer group, Kate Hanni's FlyersRights.org, contends Spirit is leaving stranded customers to fend for themselves, citing calls it has received from some travelers. Hanni wants Congress, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the Justice Department to investigate.

There is some evidence, however, that Spirit is helping at least some customers, beyond offering them a credit for the full amount of their flight purchase and a $100 credit for a future flight - or the government-required full refund if they call the airline to request it.

A spokesman for American Airlines says Spirit informed the carrier it planned to go to American's website to purchase seats for some of its customers, although he adds that it is too soon to figure out how many of its customers Spirit is booking on American.

"Typically, under similar circumstances with airlines that have an interline agreement [with us], there would be a program for them to go into our inventory and do their own rebooking of customers in a manner that is agreed to by both airlines," the spokesman says. Spirit, however, does not have interline agreements and its reservations system is unable to access American's Sabre-based system, he explains.

Spirit also shares some destinations with JetBlue Airways, so presumably it could be booking flights on JetBlue's site as well.

The National Mediation Board on June 14 called the airline and union back together to resume talks on June 15. But Andy Nelson, the vice chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association's Master Executive Council at Spirit, says there is a big gap to bridge on pay - the only outstanding issue - particularly regarding first officers.