When and why did you leave your job as a FO flying for Silver ? Forgive me if you've previously covered your decision in an earlier video and could you please direct me *_"with vectors"_* to specifically which of your prior video(s) in which you explained your decision. -Thank you
Silver is one of only 3 carriers here at TLH. I haven’t seen an empty flight since I started training out. I used them a couple weeks ago to go to Busch Gardens and came back the next day. It was about the same price as driving. Losing them cuts Tampa completely out for this market unless you are willing to fly to Atlanta or Charlotte first and that would be significantly more on the two legacy brands that are left. Plus, those loud as heck ATRs are just fun to have on the ramp.
So I frequently fly between Charlotte and Orlando. Frontier and Spirit typically charge around $100 round trip if I book at least three or four days in advance. American is the carrier that flies most often on that route and they typically charge around $400 round trip. I've had some issues flying Spirit in particular (not recently however) but for 1/4 the price I'm not complaining. If it wasn't for the low-cost airlines, people of lesser means than myself would be taking the bus.
This has been coming for awhile, as an experienced pilot (old), we’ve been concerned with the number of young people running to places like ATP Flight Academy walking, out with $120,000 in debt (and no degree) into an extremely vulnerable industry. The balance sheet for Spirit is a mess, and the majors aren’t far behind as they supplement most of their REVENUE from credit cards fees. Based on pure flight operations, the operating losses are mind-boggling. These airlines are public companies, I highly recommend people pursuing a career go look at their income statement and see for yourself. When a young person asks us what’s the best career choice in Aviation, which they rarely do, we all advise them to fly Corporate. If you can get on with a solid company, you’ll be set. But when I’m on the ramp and I see one of theseATP students , they have total disregard for some of the great aircraft on the FBO ramp and stare at an Airbus or Boeing taking off on the roll or landing down the runway, as if nothing else in the world matters or can fly. I know you didn’t take this path, I’ve been following you around for a long time, back when two English dudes were entertaining us on their flights from Kissimmee to Sarasota, and I hope you find something worthy of your excellent attitude and pleasant demeanor.
@@Jimmer-Space88 Man oh man you’ve been around these parts for quite some time! Appreciate you sticking around and I’m glad you saw this. You mentioned about the fresh ATP students zero to hero out in the airline world and I could not agree more with you. The standard at which I’ve seen many students from schools like that fly is so shockingly low, it’s not even funny. I’ve sat in planes with them and my jaw has hit the floor. The standard of pilots being pushed through these days are not what they should be. I do my small part to try and send quality pilots through and it infuriates me what big flight schools get away with. No offense to anyone that goes to those schools but I can only be honest from what I have witnessed.
The problem with corporate is that it's all word of mouth, and about who you know. And that often means staying around in GA which not only means low pay, but also risking life and limb as GA has a far higher accident rate, even with Part 135. Whereas the airlines have established training and career pipelines for new pilots. And if you're lucky enough to make it to captain with jet PIC time before the airline goes bust you can go anywhere in the world, and airlines will hire you as an expat.
@@LewDixAviation In the end it's all about the standards of the hiring airline. In Europe you can have fresh CPL cadets with 300 hours on the right seat of a 737, but the license conditions are such that it requires training akin to a university degree, plus constant monitoring and evaluation during flight training. And they have been doing this for ~20 years.
Yea because even a furlough letter from a legacy major is better than nothing . I’ve seen some pilots go back to the majors after being called back and they left corporate to go do so. I’m still making preparations but im will have a second skill in place incase
Frontier just released an 8-K filling projecting 4% profit margin in the 4th quarter and a 13% increase in RASM from a year ago. The strategy is working and frontier is setup to be in a great position if they can keep implementing changes like they have been doing. Wouldn’t be surprised if it made financial sense for frontier to either merge or acquire spirit if they can shed the long term debt and have more of it converted to equity. I ultimately think with better customer service and the new products the ULCC’s are launching along with less competition in the bottom end of the market a merged ULCC will regain steady profits. It will just take some time. Frontier and Spirit compete against eachother on 70%, of their routes. It’s hard to make money when somone else in town is selling tickets for $20… now imagine when they can charge 35 dollars on that route when the next cheapest competitor is Southwest at $250.
Hi Lewis, we worked together at Silver Airways. I think it comes down the company culture and that it was not a place that enabled my long-term success and happiness for a career in aviation. I hope that they can improve by cutting some of fat and scrapping 705SV. I still keep in contact with pilots from Silver including a handful of Captains. I can't get into too much personal information but there's major personnel issues within operations.
People just don’t understand how volatile the airline market is to operate in. Overhead can get high, very quickly. This is, in my opinion, what makes ULCCs a very vulnerable business model.
I have had only two flights on Spirit and I just follow their rules. It never cost me a dime more if I follow the rules. My last flight was in March 2020… right before Covid really took hold. I flew from Newark to Houston for $19.40. That cheap price and the sweetest landing I’ve ever been part of… I will not forget. I even complemented the pilot as I left the aircraft. I also know this UA-camr, who was a captain on Spirit. He could smell something was going on and he tried out for United and became a first officer. He’s very happy but he lost a lot of money in the transition. Happy New Year’s and as they say, keep the blue side up.
I've never had a problem on a LCC. Flew Frontier recently and although it was like sitting on an ironing board the flight was quick and I didn't have any problems. That's not to say that people don't experience issues. The CEO's wouldn't have been in front of the government otherwise haha. Happy new year man!
Thats actually the current issue with Spirit. People know the fees, they can fill a plane but not the cargo bin. If the cargo bin is empty they don't make money. Ive had no issues on them, the seat pitch I can get around (I'm 6'1"). The seat width though, is narrower and a wider aisle, which makes no sense to me.
I have flown Spirit twice two because it was the only way to go for the leg. The first time two large black women were drunk and got in a fight and we were delayed 45 minutes after they got dragged off. The other there were about 20 feds waiting for two black men who were arrested coming off the flight. It was for drug trafficking. I asked one of the DEA agents who nodded and Trump-faced me at my guess being correct. I'm not saying black people cause more problems flying, but it's like flying greyhound. You are flying with people for the lower classes who don't travel a lot and think the world revolves around them.
I used to fly for silver in the 1900 days and we had pretty good loads back in the day, but I think when it had the “continental connection” it helped connect its marketing better. When they went on their own I think it changed where they went more unknown. Too bad though it was some of the funnest flying I ever did in my pilot career. Hope they can weather the storm.
I am a Florida-based airline pilot and although my carrier is doing OK I really feel for the guys at spirit and silver. This is a rough time. Spirits always had an interesting reputation, but you get what you pay for and it has allowed a lot of people to get around really cheap. when I was in college I tried to start an airline very similar to what silver became but using smaller aircraft. I think the ATR may just be too much airplane for them but I think the SAAB 340s were getting too old. Sadly, nobody really makes a good 30 seat, turbo prop anymore.
Hi Lewis, I just booked my flights on Silver Airways last night. Silver Airways is my favorite airline to use whilst traveling throughout Florida. I'm in the NW section of Florida and it is a great Airline and I tell so many people about them.
I used to love flying to KPNS. My most difficult and smoothest landing was up there. Those flights were usually pretty full. I enjoyed most of my time there. There are worse airlines to fly with, that's for certain!
Affordable shorthaul flights with a more efficient turbine ATR instead of jets like most US regionals use, seems like a winning strategy. But when your turbine is more costly to maintain and sits longer waiting on parts from another country maybe that offsets the savings of using them over jets.
Very good overview/thoughts on this subject matter. My son is attending an Aviation university currently, and we are gaging what the airline market will look like in 4 years. There will be additional retirements during that time- however a bankruptcy would also play a factor in the market to your point. Thank you for the great content as always Lewis!
I flew on Silver Airways last week, actually 2 days before Christmas. Flight was extremely cheap ($130.00 RT) and the flight was extremely empty. Maybe 20 passengers going and 10 passengers returning. Even though I was flying to Key West 2 days before Christmas, I was very shocked that the flight was so empty. With cheap tickets and empty flight, I can see why they are filing for Chapter 11.
I would start looking into getting into 135. Like flying for net jets or some other carrier. I also remember there was a company down in South Florida called Makers Air that flies Caravans in the Bahamas you want to check out. The other side of the coin is that the cost of living in Florida has really become unaffordable and reasons why a lot of people are moving out of the state. You have to ask yourself are you willing to relocate? Everything will fall in place. Cheers mate happy new year.
Had to fly Silver from Pensacola to Orlando. First time on a turboprop, I was excited. Although my bag and the guy's next to me bag didn't fit well under the seat.
I'm glad we left Silver when we did Lew. Couldn't be happier at my new spot versus there... paid like s***, mx was s***, people were (mostly) great just didn't see that place really going anywhere anytime soon.
It must be so difficult with the pilot pools going with an ebb and flow, one minute airlines are screaming for pilots, the next there are too many. Is there scope to look outside the states?
People don't change unless forced. Bankruptcies(Generally, not specifically legal ch.11) are basically economic spring cleaning and necessary for a healthy market in the long term. They really don't have a huge impact in the big scheme because other companies will expand into the space. Some services may stay gone but that generally means those were economically ill-formed (eg. the demand only existed below a sustainable price).
Hold my beer! I went through both Pan Am and United's bankruptcies. Getting practically nothing for 20 years at Pan Am (pension fund was looted) and not much more from 22 at United.
Great video. I have to disagree with your thought that "It's going to be the Spirit pilot every time." (When it comes to getting hired by a major airline.) I say that after going through bankruptcy 3 times , 2 of which became liquidations. That 1500 hour CFI with a goal of flying for a major airline needs to keep their eye on the prize and press on. I won't bore you with my experience but I do know a little about airlines and airline hiring. Best wishes.
I've flown the ULCCs (Spirit/Frontier) and have had positive experiences with both and never experienced anything like the video clip! There are a lot of issues with the ULCC model in the US and probably not room for both. Jet Blue screwed Spirit with their buyout offer and they will have a hard time recovering. Silver is an airline I wouldn't hesitate flying, but I rarely have a need to go where they fly. I do hope they survive, but my hopes are not high for them...
I use to work for Flybe back here in the UK until it went into administration back in 2020. The airline had been in financial strife for a long time. Not helped by poor management decisons resulting in over capacity of the network, especially ordering aircraft when everyone else was not and they were the entirely wrong aircraft for what was needed. On the day of administration, the airline had £5million left in the bank and had an £11million bill due. Thankfully, we got paid our monthly salary as nornal just a couple of weeks beforehand.
Definitely don't want to see either fail. Unfortunately, I think Spirit's business model is fundamentally flawed from the start. If you're going to eliminate or charge extra for certain "amenities" to reduce the base cost of the ticket, you need to choose things that actually are not important to the passengers. Making it hard for passengers to fly your airline because of surprise fees, rejected boarding, etc. can only lead to failure in the long run.
It is always sad to see any airline in bankruptcy. I agree that if these airlines go away, it will prompt higher prices and decrease the options to many destinations. I do not agree with the practice of proving incentive to employees to target passengers with bags that additional fees can be made on. Establish a luggage policy and stick to it. Additionally, bankruptcy and the mismanagement of finances tend to go together. If you make smarter decisions with the finances of the airline and cut out the greed, the airline will continue to fly without the added weight and worry of bankruptcy. However, in the case of Silver Airways, where it was mentioned they were having supply issues from the manufacturer. This is unfortunate, unavoidable and not the fault of the airline. I truly hope the management at Spirit makes immediate changes to how they are managing their finances and give serious consideration to changing their business models to bring the airline back to greatness. I also hope Silver Airways makes whatever changes are needed to keep them in the skies. Many people love them and I think they provide a valuable service to travelers and the people of the state of Florida. I wish all the airlines the very best and hope they are able to navigate these challenging times to stay in the air. Best of luck to all.
Air travel in this country needs to have a long look in the mirror. I love aviation and I’m looking to resuming my PPC training in early 2025 (stupid life), but I don’t like airline travel at all. It’s a PITA for the passenger start to finish. Invasive TSA scans, scurrying to gates in complicated airports, and it’s a monumental hassle if your flight is significantly delayed. Then you get on the airplane and you’re packed like a tin of sardines with barely room at all to move. Questionably edible food, overpriced drinks, and everyone panics at turbulence. It’s an overall miserable experience for many air travel. All this so that shareholder dividends remain high and those execs Sen. Hawley grilled get bonuses.
I agree with everything you said about air travel. I was just discussing this with my wife the other day. I love flying and love being a pilot but absolutely can’t stand when I have to travel on an airline because of everything you stated.
Definitely messing with the hiring pool. I've had my apps out for 6 months, and nothing has come of it. Like you said, why hire a 2000 hour CFI like me, when there are more and more pilots with 121 experience looking for work now too.
Spirit needs to do a complete restructuring. 2010 was the last time i ever flew with them. For what I was charged for "extras" I could've flown Delta for cheaper. From that day forward I've said I would take a dirty Mexican taxi across the country before I ever set foot in a Spirit jet again.
Restructuring is not a solution if the business models are not correct. In any event, who is going to extend credit (working capital) to a business that is proven to be unprofitable... And the actual cost of restructuring (professional advisors) will be USD millions.
Like any company that faces these kinds of restructuring, I have to wonder how the people at the top are doing financially. Always seems like it's their salaries that are least commented on, and least likely to be impacted.
I can't speak for what people make but I always got the impression that the everyone at Silver was pulling for it to succeed. They are a good set of people there.
As a current student hoping to find a career in flying, this is somewhat concerning. What advice would you have for some of us just getting into this? I never planned on the airlines but I'm also still pretty new (80hrs) and I am sure plans will change with time.
Lew, I found your comments on the Spirit/Silver bankruptcies interesting. But more importantly, I found myself understanding/liking you more. In your CFI videos, I've found your snarkiness to be off-putting at times, to the extent that I've reduced the number of them that I watch. But this video put you in a more sincere, serious, light, and gave more of an insight into you the person. Your aviation journey, your possible plans for the future, etc.
Spirit - probably reemerge, probably get some help from RTX given the issues with the PW engines. Silver - honestly, Florida needs to build high speed rail between its cities instead of relying on short-hop flights. Maybe with its death Brightline will invest in this.
Hey Lewis, I was LMAO on the video of the experience on Spirit Airlines. That is so true. I agree with you. It would be bad for both those carriers to go under but more so probably if silver went under for the Florida market. Between a lot of the other low budget airlines Southwest could possibly pick up the slack on that but spirit has a business model that’s not sustainable from what I read about them. Anyway, whatever your future endeavors are, best of luck to you. I really enjoy your channel and a lot of your stuff I incorporate in my instruction. Happy new year, buddy!
You have me wondering what the other options are for someone who wants to be a professional pilot. There is more out there than just the airlines. What are those markets like for job seekers?
I did charter jet flying before moving to the airlines. I loved it. The only reason I made the switch to the airlines is to get more days at home. Being on the road for 8-14 days at a time sucked.
Bankruptcy was a common theme for those of us through the 1990’s-2000’s. Welcome the airline pilot profession. There’s probably going to be more than one in your career.
I have the gold membership with Spirit and I get free food, but I usually order the peanuts instead of the pistachios because I know they’re hurtin for money
@@TheGodlyGamers When it’s something I think is worth talking about, I do it. I don’t go for click bait. I go for real conversation! Appreciate you realising it!
Mentor Pilot also did a verry good video on this. kind of explaining how its not the worst thing. Im sure you have seen it, what are your thoughts on i t? But this is another great video from you.
Not sure, but I thought Spirit and Frontier had some merger ambitions that were blocked by the gov’t. It’s failure made the bankruptcy eminent. That said, I suspect that those airlines maybe were going to fail anyway.
I don't fly LCC - but it cannot be easy for them. That said, legacy airlines here in the UK might as well be LCC, without the LC bit :-) Whatever happens, I wish you a happy 2025.
My immediate guess as to what was going on with both of them: the pilots are going to get screwed. Followed by: LewDix probably got out when the getting was good. But that is based entirely on uninformed speculation. Just sharing my reaction.
It's more expensive to live out here in the SF Bay Area but my CFIs charge $105-$125/hr and they are booked up. The managed chaos in the air would make for good video content 😂. My first solo I was asked to fly pattern in the opposite direction and 360 for spacing, with extended downwind. Just another normal day. Lots of folks learning to fly for the love of it, not in an airline pipeline. Being an airline has been a bad way to make money since the 70s. If you find yourself being too profitable Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, or ATR will solve that problem for you very quickly. I don't mean that as a joke. All of them charge as much as they can without forcing you into immediate bankruptcy. What are you gonna do? Give up your spot and wait another 10 years with a different vendor who is gonna tell you to bend over and take it just the same? Only now you lost your spot in line? Unless you're ordering 100 airplanes you don't matter, they've got full order books. More competition on the airliner side would help. Someone like Cessna (Textron) could start making larger jets as transport category aircraft. Or Lockheed could get back into that business. The big legacies with deep pockets have moved away from pure hub and spoke model (one reason for lack of love for 747 and A380) and stratified their economy cabins. But they also have credit cards and reward programs attached. Spirit doesn't have any of that. Silver may do OK - they fill a niche, connecting smaller and less popular airports. Maybe SkyWest found the right formula? Don't sell tickets direct at all, operate as a regional contractor for other airlines so you can consolidate pax from multiple carriers on each route. There are routes the regionals have dropped service on that might be opportunities. For example SFO to DFW/DAL. Used to have options, now it's a handful of United or American. Alaska doesn't even fly it every day. I think Virgin American proved you can do interesting things, shame they got acquired. Wish Branson had given me a few shares, I'd have voted no and blocked the merger 😂. I dunno what can really be done. As a passenger I want a first class experience and I pay for it (not via upgrade programs). I don't usually fly regionals or smaller aircraft because they don't really have a first class - but I'm in the minority by far! As far as I'm concerned first class is what all air travel should be.
Hey Lewix I love to flight with spirit airlines and my dream is to work with spirit airlines as first officer 👨🏾✈️ I never fly with silver but I prefer spirit airlines or frontier airlines then silver lol 😂
Lewis, you’re in a bit of a rut and we understand that. Get yourself shaved, exercise daily and start focusing on solutions and not problems - think positive. As somebody who worked extensively in financial restructuring, it’s a great money maker for consultants!! You are British and well presented - different; employers want different. Believe in yourself…
@ You are going to get a fantastic job - I can see it! You remind me so well of 2 pilots who taught me my PPL 20 years ago and they both are doing very well; you are exactly the same as them - your flying ability, mannerism, communication skills, and ability to teach others…
The airline industry is the most unstable industry in the world! How many airlines 20 years ago no longer exist?! Let’s count off: America West Pan Am TWA U.S. Airways American Trans Air Northwest Continental AirTran USA 3000 Independence Air Pinnacle Airlines Com Air Trans States …..folks it happens, ask me how I know! 😂 stay strong and realize this is the Norm of our industry and career field! It’s a very cut throat industry….Blue skies and tailwinds ✈️
What do you think about these bankruptcy filings? Let me know below!
When and why did you leave your job as a FO flying for Silver ? Forgive me if you've previously covered your decision in an earlier video and could you please direct me *_"with vectors"_* to specifically which of your prior video(s) in which you explained your decision. -Thank you
@@williamshockley7692 haha There's not video but to give you a quick rundown I upgraded and left pretty soon after than in 2023. It's been a while!
They stole $29000 in equity from me. You can imagine what I think about Spirit CEO and board of directors
Silver is one of only 3 carriers here at TLH. I haven’t seen an empty flight since I started training out. I used them a couple weeks ago to go to Busch Gardens and came back the next day. It was about the same price as driving. Losing them cuts Tampa completely out for this market unless you are willing to fly to Atlanta or Charlotte first and that would be significantly more on the two legacy brands that are left.
Plus, those loud as heck ATRs are just fun to have on the ramp.
@@AlphaWhiskeyAviation I always used to enjoy going to TLH.. Some fun landings up there.
So I frequently fly between Charlotte and Orlando. Frontier and Spirit typically charge around $100 round trip if I book at least three or four days in advance. American is the carrier that flies most often on that route and they typically charge around $400 round trip. I've had some issues flying Spirit in particular (not recently however) but for 1/4 the price I'm not complaining. If it wasn't for the low-cost airlines, people of lesser means than myself would be taking the bus.
This has been coming for awhile, as an experienced pilot (old), we’ve been concerned with the number of young people running to places like ATP Flight Academy walking, out with $120,000 in debt (and no degree) into an extremely vulnerable industry. The balance sheet for Spirit is a mess, and the majors aren’t far behind as they supplement most of their REVENUE from credit cards fees. Based on pure flight operations, the operating losses are mind-boggling. These airlines are public companies, I highly recommend people pursuing a career go look at their income statement and see for yourself.
When a young person asks us what’s the best career choice in Aviation, which they rarely do, we all advise them to fly Corporate. If you can get on with a solid company, you’ll be set. But when I’m on the ramp and I see one of theseATP students , they have total disregard for some of the great aircraft on the FBO ramp and stare at an Airbus or Boeing taking off on the roll or landing down the runway, as if nothing else in the world matters or can fly. I know you didn’t take this path, I’ve been following you around for a long time, back when two English dudes were entertaining us on their flights from Kissimmee to Sarasota, and I hope you find something worthy of your excellent attitude and pleasant demeanor.
@@Jimmer-Space88 Man oh man you’ve been around these parts for quite some time! Appreciate you sticking around and I’m glad you saw this. You mentioned about the fresh ATP students zero to hero out in the airline world and I could not agree more with you. The standard at which I’ve seen many students from schools like that fly is so shockingly low, it’s not even funny. I’ve sat in planes with them and my jaw has hit the floor. The standard of pilots being pushed through these days are not what they should be. I do my small part to try and send quality pilots through and it infuriates me what big flight schools get away with. No offense to anyone that goes to those schools but I can only be honest from what I have witnessed.
The problem with corporate is that it's all word of mouth, and about who you know. And that often means staying around in GA which not only means low pay, but also risking life and limb as GA has a far higher accident rate, even with Part 135. Whereas the airlines have established training and career pipelines for new pilots. And if you're lucky enough to make it to captain with jet PIC time before the airline goes bust you can go anywhere in the world, and airlines will hire you as an expat.
@@LewDixAviation In the end it's all about the standards of the hiring airline. In Europe you can have fresh CPL cadets with 300 hours on the right seat of a 737, but the license conditions are such that it requires training akin to a university degree, plus constant monitoring and evaluation during flight training. And they have been doing this for ~20 years.
Yea because even a furlough letter from a legacy major is better than nothing . I’ve seen some pilots go back to the majors after being called back and they left corporate to go do so. I’m still making preparations but im will have a second skill in place incase
This comment is incredibly stupid. Anyone taking career advice from this poster is gonna get exactly what they deserve.
Frontier just released an 8-K filling projecting 4% profit margin in the 4th quarter and a 13% increase in RASM from a year ago. The strategy is working and frontier is setup to be in a great position if they can keep implementing changes like they have been doing. Wouldn’t be surprised if it made financial sense for frontier to either merge or acquire spirit if they can shed the long term debt and have more of it converted to equity.
I ultimately think with better customer service and the new products the ULCC’s are launching along with less competition in the bottom end of the market a merged ULCC will regain steady profits.
It will just take some time. Frontier and Spirit compete against eachother on 70%, of their routes. It’s hard to make money when somone else in town is selling tickets for $20… now imagine when they can charge 35 dollars on that route when the next cheapest competitor is Southwest at $250.
Hi Lewis, we worked together at Silver Airways. I think it comes down the company culture and that it was not a place that enabled my long-term success and happiness for a career in aviation. I hope that they can improve by cutting some of fat and scrapping 705SV. I still keep in contact with pilots from Silver including a handful of Captains. I can't get into too much personal information but there's major personnel issues within operations.
People just don’t understand how volatile the airline market is to operate in. Overhead can get high, very quickly. This is, in my opinion, what makes ULCCs a very vulnerable business model.
I have had only two flights on Spirit and I just follow their rules. It never cost me a dime more if I follow the rules.
My last flight was in March 2020… right before Covid really took hold. I flew from Newark to Houston for $19.40. That cheap price and the sweetest landing I’ve ever been part of… I will not forget. I even complemented the pilot as I left the aircraft.
I also know this UA-camr, who was a captain on Spirit. He could smell something was going on and he tried out for United and became a first officer. He’s very happy but he lost a lot of money in the transition.
Happy New Year’s and as they say, keep the blue side up.
I've never had a problem on a LCC. Flew Frontier recently and although it was like sitting on an ironing board the flight was quick and I didn't have any problems. That's not to say that people don't experience issues. The CEO's wouldn't have been in front of the government otherwise haha.
Happy new year man!
Thats actually the current issue with Spirit. People know the fees, they can fill a plane but not the cargo bin. If the cargo bin is empty they don't make money.
Ive had no issues on them, the seat pitch I can get around (I'm 6'1"). The seat width though, is narrower and a wider aisle, which makes no sense to me.
I have flown Spirit twice two because it was the only way to go for the leg. The first time two large black women were drunk and got in a fight and we were delayed 45 minutes after they got dragged off. The other there were about 20 feds waiting for two black men who were arrested coming off the flight. It was for drug trafficking. I asked one of the DEA agents who nodded and Trump-faced me at my guess being correct.
I'm not saying black people cause more problems flying, but it's like flying greyhound. You are flying with people for the lower classes who don't travel a lot and think the world revolves around them.
@@qwaszx2dude… that’s not cool.
@@IGrocker The new America. I know.
I used to fly for silver in the 1900 days and we had pretty good loads back in the day, but I think when it had the “continental connection” it helped connect its marketing better. When they went on their own I think it changed where they went more unknown. Too bad though it was some of the funnest flying I ever did in my pilot career. Hope they can weather the storm.
I am a Florida-based airline pilot and although my carrier is doing OK I really feel for the guys at spirit and silver. This is a rough time. Spirits always had an interesting reputation, but you get what you pay for and it has allowed a lot of people to get around really cheap. when I was in college I tried to start an airline very similar to what silver became but using smaller aircraft. I think the ATR may just be too much airplane for them but I think the SAAB 340s were getting too old. Sadly, nobody really makes a good 30 seat, turbo prop anymore.
Hi Lewis, I just booked my flights on Silver Airways last night. Silver Airways is my favorite airline to use whilst traveling throughout Florida. I'm in the NW section of Florida and it is a great Airline and I tell so many people about them.
I used to love flying to KPNS. My most difficult and smoothest landing was up there. Those flights were usually pretty full. I enjoyed most of my time there. There are worse airlines to fly with, that's for certain!
Saw the news popup literally 30 seconds before I got a notification for this video. Talk about good timing
@@pizarrollama7785 haha I got on it pretty quickly when I heard the news.
Lew you helped me a lot in PPL stage 1 and 2. Keep flying
Affordable shorthaul flights with a more efficient turbine ATR instead of jets like most US regionals use, seems like a winning strategy. But when your turbine is more costly to maintain and sits longer waiting on parts from another country maybe that offsets the savings of using them over jets.
A “stay at home CFI” 😂
😂 For the past few months that’s been the truth!
@@LewDixAviationit's alright Captain, a lot of us has been there, it will get better, ❤
Very good overview/thoughts on this subject matter. My son is attending an Aviation university currently, and we are gaging what the airline market will look like in 4 years. There will be additional retirements during that time- however a bankruptcy would also play a factor in the market to your point. Thank you for the great content as always Lewis!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the podcast. A lot can change, quickly in the airline world but there would be some knock on effects for sure!
I flew on Silver Airways last week, actually 2 days before Christmas. Flight was extremely cheap ($130.00 RT) and the flight was extremely empty. Maybe 20 passengers going and 10 passengers returning. Even though I was flying to Key West 2 days before Christmas, I was very shocked that the flight was so empty. With cheap tickets and empty flight, I can see why they are filing for Chapter 11.
Those Key West flights were usually busy when I was flying there. Sad to hear the loads have been bad.
i totally agree with you!! love your videos very entertaining!! i hope something good happens with this situation. Happy new year!!
@@talnaor23 Thanks man!
I took my discovery flight because of you and I loved it
That’s fantastic!!
I would start looking into getting into 135. Like flying for net jets or some other carrier. I also remember there was a company down in South Florida called Makers Air that flies Caravans in the Bahamas you want to check out. The other side of the coin is that the cost of living in Florida has really become unaffordable and reasons why a lot of people are moving out of the state. You have to ask yourself are you willing to relocate? Everything will fall in place. Cheers mate happy new year.
Had to fly Silver from Pensacola to Orlando. First time on a turboprop, I was excited. Although my bag and the guy's next to me bag didn't fit well under the seat.
I always found the seats on the ATR more comfortable than the LCC’s.
I'm glad we left Silver when we did Lew. Couldn't be happier at my new spot versus there... paid like s***, mx was s***, people were (mostly) great just didn't see that place really going anywhere anytime soon.
It must be so difficult with the pilot pools going with an ebb and flow, one minute airlines are screaming for pilots, the next there are too many. Is there scope to look outside the states?
@@GolfFoxtrot22 It’s so volatile isn’t it? Out of the states not for me. I think the FAA certs are fairly weak outside of the US.
@@LewDixAviation ah ok. I always thought a Commercial cert met a generic standard.
@@LewDixAviation ah ok. I always thought a Commercial cert met a generic standard.
People don't change unless forced. Bankruptcies(Generally, not specifically legal ch.11) are basically economic spring cleaning and necessary for a healthy market in the long term. They really don't have a huge impact in the big scheme because other companies will expand into the space. Some services may stay gone but that generally means those were economically ill-formed (eg. the demand only existed below a sustainable price).
Hold my beer! I went through both Pan Am and United's bankruptcies. Getting practically nothing for 20 years at Pan Am (pension fund was looted) and not much more from 22 at United.
Thank you LewDix🙏
Great video. I have to disagree with your thought that "It's going to be the Spirit pilot every time." (When it comes to getting hired by a major airline.) I say that after going through bankruptcy 3 times , 2 of which became liquidations. That 1500 hour CFI with a goal of flying for a major airline needs to keep their eye on the prize and press on. I won't bore you with my experience but I do know a little about airlines and airline hiring. Best wishes.
Thanks for the information here Dix..
I've flown the ULCCs (Spirit/Frontier) and have had positive experiences with both and never experienced anything like the video clip! There are a lot of issues with the ULCC model in the US and probably not room for both. Jet Blue screwed Spirit with their buyout offer and they will have a hard time recovering. Silver is an airline I wouldn't hesitate flying, but I rarely have a need to go where they fly. I do hope they survive, but my hopes are not high for them...
What is going on? It’s the airline industry, that what’s going on. Low prices do not make an airline run.
I use to work for Flybe back here in the UK until it went into administration back in 2020. The airline had been in financial strife for a long time. Not helped by poor management decisons resulting in over capacity of the network, especially ordering aircraft when everyone else was not and they were the entirely wrong aircraft for what was needed. On the day of administration, the airline had £5million left in the bank and had an £11million bill due. Thankfully, we got paid our monthly salary as nornal just a couple of weeks beforehand.
@@philcamm2055 I remember when all that was happening and it was really sad from the outside. I can only imagine how you felt.
Yeah, it was more a case of when, rather than if.
Great analysis! It's fantastic to get clear information and good insight on the industry.
Thank you. I’m no expert but wanted to give my opinion. Glad it was well received!
Definitely don't want to see either fail. Unfortunately, I think Spirit's business model is fundamentally flawed from the start. If you're going to eliminate or charge extra for certain "amenities" to reduce the base cost of the ticket, you need to choose things that actually are not important to the passengers. Making it hard for passengers to fly your airline because of surprise fees, rejected boarding, etc. can only lead to failure in the long run.
It is always sad to see any airline in bankruptcy. I agree that if these airlines go away, it will prompt higher prices and decrease the options to many destinations.
I do not agree with the practice of proving incentive to employees to target passengers with bags that additional fees can be made on. Establish a luggage policy and stick to it. Additionally, bankruptcy and the mismanagement of finances tend to go together. If you make smarter decisions with the finances of the airline and cut out the greed, the airline will continue to fly without the added weight and worry of bankruptcy. However, in the case of Silver Airways, where it was mentioned they were having supply issues from the manufacturer. This is unfortunate, unavoidable and not the fault of the airline.
I truly hope the management at Spirit makes immediate changes to how they are managing their finances and give serious consideration to changing their business models to bring the airline back to greatness. I also hope Silver Airways makes whatever changes are needed to keep them in the skies. Many people love them and I think they provide a valuable service to travelers and the people of the state of Florida.
I wish all the airlines the very best and hope they are able to navigate these challenging times to stay in the air. Best of luck to all.
Does that mean you can completely open up about what happened during your time with Silver?
Air travel in this country needs to have a long look in the mirror. I love aviation and I’m looking to resuming my PPC training in early 2025 (stupid life), but I don’t like airline travel at all. It’s a PITA for the passenger start to finish. Invasive TSA scans, scurrying to gates in complicated airports, and it’s a monumental hassle if your flight is significantly delayed. Then you get on the airplane and you’re packed like a tin of sardines with barely room at all to move. Questionably edible food, overpriced drinks, and everyone panics at turbulence. It’s an overall miserable experience for many air travel. All this so that shareholder dividends remain high and those execs Sen. Hawley grilled get bonuses.
I agree with everything you said about air travel. I was just discussing this with my wife the other day. I love flying and love being a pilot but absolutely can’t stand when I have to travel on an airline because of everything you stated.
Definitely messing with the hiring pool. I've had my apps out for 6 months, and nothing has come of it. Like you said, why hire a 2000 hour CFI like me, when there are more and more pilots with 121 experience looking for work now too.
@@grantsmiley1467 Sad but true. Hang tight man.
@@LewDixAviation Can we assume US airline hiring has stalled? Only a few months back it seemed the US was screaming for pilots?
@ It’s definitely slowed down dramatically. I’m seeing a lot less applications open.
@@LewDixAviation Interesting, good to know. Thanks for the insight!
Tell people instead happy new year and wish the best
Spirit needs to do a complete restructuring. 2010 was the last time i ever flew with them. For what I was charged for "extras" I could've flown Delta for cheaper. From that day forward I've said I would take a dirty Mexican taxi across the country before I ever set foot in a Spirit jet again.
Restructuring is not a solution if the business models are not correct. In any event, who is going to extend credit (working capital) to a business that is proven to be unprofitable... And the actual cost of restructuring (professional advisors) will be USD millions.
Are you still teaching student pilots? I love your videos, podcasts, and would love to learn from you. Miss your videos w your students
I’m still teaching and have instrument rating content coming very soon.
Miss you Lewis ❤
@@rebelyell22 Been a while brother!
Godspeed to all the affected employees.
Absolutely
Warren Buffet reportedly once said that there is a help line available for him to call, every time he even thinks about investing in airlines!
Like any company that faces these kinds of restructuring, I have to wonder how the people at the top are doing financially. Always seems like it's their salaries that are least commented on, and least likely to be impacted.
I can't speak for what people make but I always got the impression that the everyone at Silver was pulling for it to succeed. They are a good set of people there.
As a current student hoping to find a career in flying, this is somewhat concerning. What advice would you have for some of us just getting into this? I never planned on the airlines but I'm also still pretty new (80hrs) and I am sure plans will change with time.
Lew, I found your comments on the Spirit/Silver bankruptcies interesting.
But more importantly, I found myself understanding/liking you more. In your CFI videos, I've found your snarkiness to be off-putting at times, to the extent that I've reduced the number of them that I watch. But this video put you in a more sincere, serious, light, and gave more of an insight into you the person. Your aviation journey, your possible plans for the future, etc.
Lew, you hinted that you're looking for more or a new gig. Any updates there? I was wondering whats next in store or you? Love your content.
@@jessegunderson2605 No updates as of yet. Still figuring out what the move is. Thanks for the support!
Lack of leadership and vision will be the demise of any company
Spirit - probably reemerge, probably get some help from RTX given the issues with the PW engines. Silver - honestly, Florida needs to build high speed rail between its cities instead of relying on short-hop flights. Maybe with its death Brightline will invest in this.
Hey Lewis, I was LMAO on the video of the experience on Spirit Airlines. That is so true. I agree with you. It would be bad for both those carriers to go under but more so probably if silver went under for the Florida market. Between a lot of the other low budget airlines Southwest could possibly pick up the slack on that but spirit has a business model that’s not sustainable from what I read about them. Anyway, whatever your future endeavors are, best of luck to you. I really enjoy your channel and a lot of your stuff I incorporate in my instruction. Happy new year, buddy!
You have me wondering what the other options are for someone who wants to be a professional pilot. There is more out there than just the airlines. What are those markets like for job seekers?
I did charter jet flying before moving to the airlines. I loved it. The only reason I made the switch to the airlines is to get more days at home. Being on the road for 8-14 days at a time sucked.
Bankruptcy was a common theme for those of us through the 1990’s-2000’s. Welcome the airline pilot profession. There’s probably going to be more than one in your career.
I have the gold membership with Spirit and I get free food, but I usually order the peanuts instead of the pistachios because I know they’re hurtin for money
Very respectful of you
Can you tell me what MCycle you're currently riding while sending out your awesome aviation checklist that everyone should have? 😊
@@shinc4054 haha I have a Yamaha MT-09 and I need more people to buy my checklists so I can ride it more!
Remember lewdix, isn’t a UA-camr.. he’s a pilot so when aviation careers are in jeopardy he will voice his concerns!
@@TheGodlyGamers When it’s something I think is worth talking about, I do it. I don’t go for click bait. I go for real conversation! Appreciate you realising it!
Likely a merger will happen, probably with Frontier, the bananas will be transformed into coyotes and the spirit brand will disappear.
You leaving devastated them!
Haha I’m a nobody, man! Only thing it devastated was my bank account 💸
Mentor Pilot also did a verry good video on this. kind of explaining how its not the worst thing. Im sure you have seen it, what are your thoughts on i t? But this is another great video from you.
We’d love to have you at NetJets.
@@Adam-Sipe Was speaking with someone the other day who had nothing but good things to say.
@ you’d be a great fit here. I’ve enjoyed my time here so far.
@@Adam-Sipe If you’ve got any info you think I should know shoot me an email man. Would love to hear from you.
@@LewDixAviation right on! What’s your email address?
@@LewDixAviation right on! What’s your email address?
$3 million in debt? That can’t be right. Did you mean billion?
I read $3M. I don’t know any true numbers though.
USD 3 million is peanuts.
It’s probably not a lot of debt, but that just don’t see a way out of the mess.
Not sure, but I thought Spirit and Frontier had some merger ambitions that were blocked by the gov’t. It’s failure made the bankruptcy eminent. That said, I suspect that those airlines maybe were going to fail anyway.
@@jimbiller9682 They blocked the merger between them and Jet Blue. Frontier went back in after but quickly exited talks I believe.
Hey Lewis! Hope you’re well
Are you planning to join the airlines again anytime soon?
I don't fly LCC - but it cannot be easy for them.
That said, legacy airlines here in the UK might as well be LCC, without the LC bit :-)
Whatever happens, I wish you a happy 2025.
I recently flew Frontier over here and it was pretty seamless. Uncomfortable, but seamless. Happy new year mate!
My immediate guess as to what was going on with both of them: the pilots are going to get screwed.
Followed by: LewDix probably got out when the getting was good.
But that is based entirely on uninformed speculation. Just sharing my reaction.
Did u pass imsafe before this video?
@@dreborst23x Not even close. Slept terribly the night before lol
I thought there was a pilot shortage? No shot Spirit and Silver fixed that issue.
Haha The pilot shortage went away pretty quickly
I almost sent a message to you when I heard about this yesterday.
@@nick.simmer Yea man it’s a crazy time
They were lost without you! Had zero social media views.
@@jamesrusso6739 hahaha the videos I made there did well on my channel. I always enjoyed making that kind of content!
why did the author quit Silver the second time?
It's more expensive to live out here in the SF Bay Area but my CFIs charge $105-$125/hr and they are booked up. The managed chaos in the air would make for good video content 😂. My first solo I was asked to fly pattern in the opposite direction and 360 for spacing, with extended downwind. Just another normal day. Lots of folks learning to fly for the love of it, not in an airline pipeline.
Being an airline has been a bad way to make money since the 70s. If you find yourself being too profitable Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, or ATR will solve that problem for you very quickly. I don't mean that as a joke. All of them charge as much as they can without forcing you into immediate bankruptcy. What are you gonna do? Give up your spot and wait another 10 years with a different vendor who is gonna tell you to bend over and take it just the same? Only now you lost your spot in line? Unless you're ordering 100 airplanes you don't matter, they've got full order books.
More competition on the airliner side would help. Someone like Cessna (Textron) could start making larger jets as transport category aircraft. Or Lockheed could get back into that business.
The big legacies with deep pockets have moved away from pure hub and spoke model (one reason for lack of love for 747 and A380) and stratified their economy cabins. But they also have credit cards and reward programs attached. Spirit doesn't have any of that. Silver may do OK - they fill a niche, connecting smaller and less popular airports. Maybe SkyWest found the right formula? Don't sell tickets direct at all, operate as a regional contractor for other airlines so you can consolidate pax from multiple carriers on each route.
There are routes the regionals have dropped service on that might be opportunities. For example SFO to DFW/DAL. Used to have options, now it's a handful of United or American. Alaska doesn't even fly it every day. I think Virgin American proved you can do interesting things, shame they got acquired. Wish Branson had given me a few shares, I'd have voted no and blocked the merger 😂.
I dunno what can really be done. As a passenger I want a first class experience and I pay for it (not via upgrade programs). I don't usually fly regionals or smaller aircraft because they don't really have a first class - but I'm in the minority by far! As far as I'm concerned first class is what all air travel should be.
Support for silver atr72 fleet
Poor Spirit
Hey Lewix I love to flight with spirit airlines and my dream is to work with spirit airlines as first officer 👨🏾✈️ I never fly with silver but I prefer spirit airlines or frontier airlines then silver lol 😂
I obviously haven’t watched your older videos…I’ve never heard of Silver Airways. lol
Haha You might enjoy my videos in the ATR.
Chap 11 is pretty common. Now Chap 7? That's not good.
Hope it doesn’t turn into a 7 😳
Surprising amount of inaccuracies for a video by you. Especially one that’s aviation focused.
Please feel free to correct my inaccuracies. I’m always open to learning.
I didn't have "Agree with Josh Hawley on literally anything" on my 2024 bingo card but here we are.
@@scarybaldguy He was pretty ruthless with em!
Lewis, you’re in a bit of a rut and we understand that. Get yourself shaved, exercise daily and start focusing on solutions and not problems - think positive. As somebody who worked extensively in financial restructuring, it’s a great money maker for consultants!! You are British and well presented - different; employers want different. Believe in yourself…
I appreciate the pep talk 💪🏻
@ You are going to get a fantastic job - I can see it! You remind me so well of 2 pilots who taught me my PPL 20 years ago and they both are doing very well; you are exactly the same as them - your flying ability, mannerism, communication skills, and ability to teach others…
@ You’re gonna make me cry man 🥺 I very much appreciate your kind words!
Spirit Airlines : "The Ryanair of the US"....
🐐
@@SaqeebKhan910 Legend
Mismanagement ! Greed!
Nothing new. Look at Pan Am over 30 years ago and Laker Airways 10 years before. Many other examples, too.
Still sad to see though.
Issue: Lew leaves. Files Chapter 11.
Solution: Bring back Lew. Just give him a couple hours a week for videos...
Haha I’d enjoy making videos in the ATR again.
maybe i should file chapter 11 too
The airline industry is the most unstable industry in the world! How many airlines 20 years ago no longer exist?! Let’s count off:
America West
Pan Am
TWA
U.S. Airways
American Trans Air
Northwest
Continental
AirTran
USA 3000
Independence Air
Pinnacle Airlines
Com Air
Trans States
…..folks it happens, ask me how I know! 😂 stay strong and realize this is the Norm of our industry and career field! It’s a very cut throat industry….Blue skies and tailwinds ✈️
I hope these two don’t get added to that list!
Correction, USAir mergers with American. This created AAG…which is USAir hiding behind the AA name.
Silver isn’t going anywhere
Buh-bye. Buh-bye.
Imagine they join forces in the restructure…
Silver needs advertising. NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT SILVER AIRWAYS. It’s a shame . They cud be very successful in their niche. 🦩