Negotiations between Spirit AeroSystems and its engineering union continue this week, but the union has a tough challenge ahead of it, Midwest director Bob Brewer said this morning.
The contract between Spirit engineers and the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace expires July 11.
The talks took a “grim and disappointing” turn on Friday when discussions turned toward benefits and compensation, the union said.
“We were thoroughly surprised by the first run of the economic issues,” Brewer said.
SPEEA is continuing to work with the company, Brewer said. He is hopeful talks will conclude this week.
WICHITA: It’s not a good feeling when you step off an airplane and realize your bag didn’t make it with you.
AirTran Airways CEO Bob Fornaro talked about lost bags last week while in Wichita for the Wichita Aero Club luncheon. Fornaro said that he considers an airline’s most important metric is its baggage performance.
“We want customers to make it with their bag,” Fornaro said. The airline got high marks on baggage handling in the Airlinperofe Quality Rating study co-authored by Wichita State University’s Dean Headley.
In my own experience, one case sticks out the most. A photographer and I arrived in Naples, Italy, to spend a week working on a reporting project for the Eagle. My bag arrived the day before I left. Thankfully, I had stuffed a pair of pants in a backpack. I wore khaki pants every day for work and jeans every night. The photographer wasn’t so lucky. Her bag never did arrive.
Fornaro said it best last week.
“Nothing good happens when you don’t have a bag.”
