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Hi Cale,
This is a difficult question to answer non subjectively.
Personally I would do a top down assessment, as in, the airline with the least negative comments both public and private is the most likely to have the best approach to dealing with their employees and service providers.
A little back ground on the ops: Spring Airlines seems to be in a different operational league to their competitors as it was formed by very savvy China only tourism industry insiders. This is the only true private airline in the Middle Kingdom and has been challenging the state funded airlines since inception. Equipment and real estate is leased.
Spring Airlines has poached drivers from better funded competitors by paying exorbitant transfer fees for drivers and opted for foreign crews to cover the once needed growth issues.
Needless to say it has created certain animosity in higher circles.
Since, it has formed a huge pool of cadet recruits, trained in the USA with an acceptable English proficiency that makes such poaching of local talent obsolete. The hiring of temporary expat help is now winding down and will be terminated once the momentum created in the lower ranks is acceptable for command. A cadet can move from zero to hero in as little as 2,000 hours cruise time. Until now, expat help provided for some stability in the growth potential while at the same time certain mentorship to the cadets.
The recent growth collapse in the airline expansion has created a huge impact on expectations. Mostly, the until recently pending IPO, now defunct, will determine forward looking challenges. No way to sell shares with no growth and expanding operating costs. Certain routes are being squeezed, others are operating at a loss.
Spring is looking to reinvent itself once again. This is, without a doubt, a great entrepreneurial story. Top management is so, lower is that at best... doing business in China can be anything but business as usual.
Assuming a clean operational and safety record, the next 12-36 months will be very interesting indeed... Spring is boxed. Ribbon placed on top.
Stay tuned!