Spirit strike barely a speed bump for villa rentals

A sample of three villa management companies on St. John indicates the pilots strike against Spirit Airlines has had little impact.  Only one company, Catered To, said one of its guests was unable to leave the island Saturday.

"Fortunately the villa that they rented did not have guests coming in for the next few days," said Tyler Anderson, the Catered To general manager. "The owner generously offered them the opportunity to stay at the house free of charge." Neither Vacation Vistas nor Seaview Homes said they had guests affected by the strike.

The Inquiring Iguana's analysis is that Spirit customers are not likely to be villa renters.  Spirit's made its reputation on cheap air fares.  There are cheaper ways to stay on the island than renting a home.

One family's vacation has, however, been wrecked, or at least delayed.  JJ Shaw posted at Virgin-Islands-On-Line that she's making new plans to after the strike canceled her flight.

"I hate we will not be able to make this trip…but at least I get to plan all over again..:)", she wrote. "I hate the disappointment on the kids faces not to mention my Mom is already here (She drove four hrs to come and go with us.). At least we are eventually gonna get there…I think."

News reports say the pilots and Spirit plan to resume negotiations Tuesday, but the airline has canceled flights through Wednesday.  The airline has only one daily flight to St. Thomas.