If you’ve got a reservation for a flight on Spirit Airlines, you’d better start looking into other alternatives. The airline’s pilots have gone on strike after contract talks with management broke down yesterday morning. Apparently, the pilots were upset that they’d have to pay extra fees to carry baggage onto flights. Nah, just kidding. It’s just you getting stuck with those fees, not the cockpit crew.

Not surprisingly, the pilots’ union and the airline’s management don’t exactly agree on the cause of the strike. While union reps say they’re looking for a “fair and equitable contract” and that they’ve been “working at below-market rates for years, and under substandard work rules,” the airline says that it offered 30% pay hikes over a five-year period, along with other benefits, and that the pilots are “jeopardizing the livelihoods of our over 2,000 employees.”

Stranded passengers will be able to get credited for the fare of their flight, plus a $100 credit to be used on a future flight. The airline is also offering refunds, if you’d rather get your cash back. Customers can call (800) 772-7117 for more info.

Spirit Airlines pilots go on strike [MarketWatch]
Spirit Airlines [Official Site]

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