Spirit Airlines closes in on a new pilot contract

Labour tensions have been a recurring problem at Spirit Airlines in recent years. In 2010, pilots walked off the job for several days. That's the only strike experienced by the entire US airline industry in the past decade. More recently, Spirit Airlines pilots have become vocal in criticising the company's management, as contract talks dragged on for years with little progress being made. These frustrations boiled over last May, with most of its pilots refusing to pick up overtime work. This forced Spirit Airlines to cancel hundreds of flights, angering many of its customers. However, a tentative agreement has finally been reached with its pilot union for a 5-year contract. Under the recently completed tentative agreement, Spirit Airlines has offered its pilots an immediate wage increase averaging 43%, according to the pilot union. <br/>