?For the sake of the passengers who have been inconvenienced by this situation, we urge Spirit management to get serious and present a contract proposal that is fair and equitable for all of its pilots. Moreover, Spirit management should focus its energy at the bargaining table instead of negotiating in the news media,? continued Nelson. ?Management has hampered our efforts to develop a deal by waiting until hours before the strike deadline to offer any contract increases at all.?

Management?s latest proposal is worth $62.5 million over five years, while Spirit earned a record $83 million profit in 2009 alone. Spirit?s ranking as the most profitable airline by pre-tax margin in the United States in 2009 is based on the Department of Transportation?s Form 41 data. Pre-tax margin, which is the profit made by a company calculated as a percentage of sales before taxes, is an important measure of the profitability of a company.

In the context of this strong profitability, management?s proposal would not bring Spirit pilots? salaries up to industry standards for at least five years. The pilots? pay has been frozen for almost four years, which would mean the pilots would wait a total of nearly nine years under management?s proposal before their salaries would match those of other pilots who fly similar aircraft elsewhere in the industry. The management proposal would also force pilots to work more hours and pay more for health care.