Spirit Airlines

Spirit Airlines is the seventh largest airline in the U.S. by passengers carried. It is an ultra-low-cost carrier that takes cost mitigation very, very seriously. Spirit tries to offer the very lowest ticket prices to every destination it serves. Spirit Airlines offers 400 flights every day to 60 destinations in the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America. The airline is not a member of any airline alliances and has no partner airlines, but travelers can earn and use Free Spirit miles with a variety of Spirit’s non-aviation partners. Spirit Airlines isn’t incredibly highly rated by staff, however, the young airline is lauded by its employees for its great flight benefits. Spirit has the youngest fleet of any major U.S airline.

Key Facts

• Year Founded: 1993
• CEO: Robert Fornaro
• Airline Type: Ultra-low-fare carrier
• Headquarters: Miramar, Florida
• Size: Seventh largestS. airline based on passengers carried
• Hub: Fort Lauderdale
• Number of Employees (2017): 7,000
• Destinations served: 60
• Passenger enplanement (2017): 24 million

• Airbus A319
• Airbus A320
• Airbus A321

Spirit Airlines Flight Attendant Bases [2022]

• ACY
• DFW
• DTW
• FLL
• LAS
• MCO
• ORD

Spirit Airlines Flight Attendants are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants. Using the power of collective bargaining, the AFA has been able to improve the pay, benefits and work rules for the flight attendants at Spirit.

Spirit Flight Attendant rates of pay for each year of service.is provided in the pay scale below. Spirit Flight Attendants currently receive the hourly rates as indicated in the DOS+4 column. Starting pay is $21.04 for the first six months of employment then $22.99 for the next six. The top pay per hour is $51.13 after 15 years of service. Additional pay components can be found in the 2016-2021 Spirit Flight Attendant Contract.

Spirit Flight Attendant Monthly Guarantee 

Each Flight Attendant shall be paid the equivalent of seventy-two (72) credited hours per bid period, which shall constitute a bid period guarantee, unless the Flight Attendant voluntarily reduces his or her schedule. 

In the event a Flight Attendant is on non-pay status (i.e., unpaid leave of absence) for a portion of the month, he or she shall be paid and credited flight pay at the applicable rate for each day on pay status or pro-rated minimum guarantee, whichever is greater.

Spirit Flight Attendant Per Diem 

When a Spirit Flight Attendant is away from his or her base, he or she shall receive $2.20 per hour or fraction thereof beginning at check-in time and ending at release time.

Spirit Flight Attendant Payroll 

Pay periods for Flight Attendants will be the 1st through the 15th and the 16th through month-end. 

The 1st through the 15th pay period will be paid on the 15th. This check will include one-half (1/2) the Flight Attendant’s minimum guarantee from the current bid period plus the per diem, overtime, junior assignment pay and all other amounts above guarantee due from the prior bid period. 

The 16th through the month-end pay period will be paid on the last day of the month. This check will include one-half (1/2) of the Flight Attendant’s minimum guarantee from the current bid period.

Reported Spirit Flight Attendant Salary Information as of 1/26/2022

Career and employment related websites use different sets of data and user submissions to come up with the numbers so the salary information below cannot be completely accurate. If salary information was collected from all the websites that offer them we would have estimates all over the place. Salary estimates from CareerBliss and Indeed are as follows… 

CareerBliss reports a salary of $41,000 which is based on 20 salaries submitted.

Indeed reports $28,882 as the average salary which is an estimate based on submissions from 13 employees and other related data collected the past 36 months. Additionally pay and benefits has a star rating of 3.1 out of 5 based on 192 reviews as 1/26/2022.

Spirit has one of the lowest flight pay rates in the industry, along with JetBlue. The hourly flight pay is the main pay component that determines the yearly salary of a Spirit Airlines Flight Attendant. It would be accurate to expect salaries that are below average based on the current pay scale. The only way to achieve a higher salary is to fly more, which is nice if there is the ability to do so but for some it’s not always healthy. While on reserve you are guaranteed hours but getting hours beyond that depends on many factors such as the time of year, staffing levels and what is healthy for you. 

Retirement information is coming soon! If you would like to help us with this section please use “Report an update” above or make contact.

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Spirit Flight Attendant Requirements:

• Must be at least 21 years of age.
• Must be at least 5’0 (without shoes).
• Must be able to lift 50lbs from floor to shoulder level, ability to reach aircraft overhead bins and storage areas.
• Must have valid passports/documents with the ability to travel in and out of the USA and to all cities/countries served by Spirit Airlines.
• Must be eligible to work in the United States without sponsorship.
• At least 2 years of experience in the Guest Service, Hospitality and/or Sales/Merchandising industry.
• Must be dependable, energetic, outgoing, a team player, and demonstrate leadership and exceptional interpersonal skills.
• Must be flexible and willing to relocate to a base assignment at your own expense in any current or future crew bases.
• Required to attend and successfully complete a 4-week Initial Flight Attendant training held in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
• Ability to work flexible hours, days and holidays.
• Ability to work in close quarters with service animals as well as all snack items, including but not limited to peanuts.
• Ability to communicate effectively.  Must be proficient in the English language; bilingual in Spanish a plus.
• Must maintain a polished, professional and conservative appearance at all times.
• High School Diploma or GED required, College degree preferred.
• Driver’s license is preferred.

To learn more about becoming a flight attendant at Spirit Airlines go here.