Spirit unveils Houston as its 10th crew base, bringing 500 jobs
Everything is bigger in Texas, including Spirit Airlines' operation.
The Miramar, Florida-based carrier announced plans on Tuesday to open a dedicated crew base at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) later this fall. Spirit will staff about 150 pilots and 300 flight attendants in the new base, with additional crew, supervisors and support functions to follow in the coming months.
Opening a crew base in Houston follows news earlier this year of Spirit opening a new aircraft maintenance facility in Houston, which is serviced by more than 50 full-time employees. In addition to Houston, Spirit also performs aircraft maintenance at its hangars in Detroit.
By stationing crew members in Houston, the carrier will seemingly be able to grow in the market, as most pilots and flight attendants start and end their day at the same base. Spirit's Houston base is the 10th for the carrier, joining existing ones in Atlanta (ATL), Atlantic City (ACY), Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW), Detroit (DTW), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Las Vegas (LAS), Miami (MIA) and Orlando (MCO).
"In total, we are bringing about 500 good-paying jobs to the Houston marketplace. All of that means growth, we are going to continue to expand here in Houston. There are going to be lots more opportunities for Houstonians to get low fares on Spirit," said Spirit CEO Ted Christie in an interview.
As for why Houston is the ideal location for growing its employee base, Christie mentioned that "it's the perfect location because of the size of the market. Geographically, it's in a really good spot in the country."
Spirit serves 16 domestic and international destinations from Houston, including new service to Monterrey, Mexico (MTY), scheduled to begin this fall.
The move to open a crew base in Houston comes as the bidding war for Spirit has heated up in recent months. Frontier announced plans in February to create a mega-ultra-low-cost carrier by merging with Spirit, while JetBlue has since entered the competition with multiple takeover bids.
Only time will tell which carrier prevails, as the recently rescheduled Spirit shareholder meeting is coming up on July 27.
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.