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Spirit Airlines pilots struck on Saturday, and the airline has canceled all flights through June 15, stranding thousands. The pilots are striking for wages comparable to other airlines. The airline offered the pilots a 30% pay increase over five years, but pilots would also have to fly more. A spokesman for the pilots said that the offer only matched inflation. He said that a pilot with 10 years of experience earns $158 an hour at JetBlue, but a Spirit pilot with 15 years of experience only earns $138 an hour. He also said that they had tried to warn passengers of the upcoming strike through press releases and billboards. On Saturday the CEO of Spirit said that they were hoping to begin flights with replacement pilots, but no flights have occurred. The airline has around 440 pilots. Pilots at other airlines are also in negotiations, and the strike is being closely watched. The last strike at a major airline was mechanics at Northwest Airlines in 2005.