There’s so many things that have been said about Spirit that it can make one wonder what it’s like to work there. If you’ve ever considered or wondered if Spirit is a good airline to work for, keep on reading.
As someone who has been employed at Spirit for the past seven years, I am often asked if I still love it. For the record, my answer is a proud yes. If I didn’t, I would’ve left already. Of course, there are some things I wish were different, but for the most part, Spirit has been good to me.
Naturally, there are pros and cons to working at Spirit. So let’s get into some of them.
| Pros | Cons |
| Schedule Flexibility | Pay |
| Ability to gain seniority quickly | No flight benefits with American, United, and Delta |
| Easy Workload | Can be a little disorganized |
| Easy to transfer bases | |
| Company growth | |
| Camaraderie |
PROS of Working For Spirit
Schedule Flexibility
- This is easily one of the best things about being a flight attendant at Spirit. With the exception of being on reserve, you truly have the freedom to manipulate your schedule to your liking.
So if you know you need certain days off or you just don’t feel like working, you can make that happen by putting in a request to drop a trip.
Or vice versa, if you want to grind it out and max out on your hours, you can absolutely do that as well. - Reserves may not be able to take as much time off as a regular line holder, but they can at least most likely get the days off they need. They just don’t have as much power when it comes to the trips they get.
- Another great thing with scheduling is that there’s no required monthly minimum hours. So you can have as much time off as you’d like.
Ability to gain seniority quickly
This is another thing that I’ve heard many flight attendants say keeps them here at Spirit. Spirit is an airline where you can get a line (and more importantly) hold a line pretty quickly.
Depending on where you’re based, it can take anywhere from a few months to 2 years to get your first line which is nothing compared to some other airlines where it can take years!
Easy Workload
For the most part, we do the same work as in boarding, service, and deplaning. However, our workload at Spirit is lighter compared to other airlines.
We aren’t required to clean the planes after each flight.
Depending on the length of the flight, we may only do 1 or 2 services.
We don’t have to heat up or cook meals for our guests. All our drinks and snacks are available for purchase. So we only serve the people that order something. Sometimes there will be flights where nobody orders anything.
Easy to transfer bases
- Another thing I’ve heard flight attendants say they like about Spirit is how easy it is to transfer to other bases. Spirit currently has 10 bases and they’re usually pretty open for transfers. There are some terms and conditions that need to be met in order for the transfer to be approved, but it usually can happen pretty easily and quickly.
- Flight attendants have told me that they change bases just for a “change of scene”.
- There’s rarely a long waitlist to get into a base. It may just take a couple of months for the transfer process to complete.
Company growth
- Spirit continues to grow more and more with each passing day. They are constantly adding more routes and destinations.
In the last few months alone, we’ve opened 3 new bases (ATL, MIA, IAH). - If you haven’t heard, there are plans to merge with Jetblue. Once that is complete, we will become the fifth-largest airline in the U.S.
- It’s exciting to be part of a company with a strong future!
Camaraderie
- Now, this is personally my favorite thing about Spirit. The camaraderie at Spirit is unmatched! Whilst Spirit continues to grow, it’s still small enough that you can still run into the same people pretty often.
- I can’t count how many times I’ve seen flight attendants greet each other like it’s a family reunion. I think it’s a really beautiful thing we have here at Spirit that I never really witness with other airlines. When I see them greet each other like that, it makes me feel good because that shows me that crews get along well and enjoy working with each other.
- I know some people (myself included) whose friendships have transcended beyond work.
CONS of Working For Spirit
Pay
This is my only real issue with Spirit. As of now, our pay rate is much lower compared to our fellow US carriers. It’s almost embarrassing how much we get paid when we think of the types of guests and flights we have to deal with on a day-to-day basis.
I never got into this job for the money, but it would be a nice way to show us that we are appreciated for the work we do.
No flight benefits with American, United, and Delta
It’s not a dealbreaker, but it would be nice if we had international flight benefits on at least one of these airlines.
Our current international flight benefits aren’t terrible, but sometimes it takes an extra flight or creativity just to get somewhere as opposed to just taking one nonstop, direct flight.
Can be a little disorganized
Although it’s fantastic that Spirit is constantly growing, sometimes we (the flight attendants) unfortunately get caught up in its growing pains.
For example, Spirit will announce brand new routes and destinations, but at the same time, will struggle to keep up with making sure there’s enough coverage for them.
Consequently, flights will delay or cancel, and it would take them a little while to catch back up.
Meanwhile, flight attendants would get stranded for hours or days without any idea of what to do.
They have gotten a lot better though.
Is Spirit a Good Company to Work For?
One of the top reasons people like working at Spirit is the quality of life we’re able to have.
It’s definitely something that makes Spirit unique and different from other airlines.
There are so many flight attendants at Spirit whose lives don’t stop at just being a flight attendant.
We are able to fulfill other parts of our lives. People are able to spend time with their kids/family. Some people go back to school. Some people pursue their other passions. Some simply just take advantage of our flight benefits and travel the world for the majority of the year.
Airlines are never going to be a “one-size-fits-all”. With so many airlines out there, you can’t help but wonder, “which one will be the best fit for me?” Every airline has their pros and cons, and the job alone is a lifestyle. So what it truly comes down to is if the airline can support the life you want to live.
However, there is an airline for everyone, and if Spirit meets your needs, then yes. Spirit is a great airline to work for – especially for anyone just starting out in the industry.
Some may say we have it pretty good here at Spirit. Some may beg to differ, but one thing is for sure, Spirit has come a long way from what it used to be, and I’m proud to work here!
I had no idea that Spirit had no benefits with those three major airlines! Do you have International benefits with other Airlines that travel Internationally?