Frontier Trims Flights at Milwaukee Hub as Parent Republic Hunts for Buyer

[B52GUNNER]

We will see what "The big picture" turns out to be. So far it has just been providing substandard pay, and terrible work rules.

 

[Captain Morgan]

I hope your big picture and our big picture both improve substantially however having come from the opposite side of the fence I know for a fact that the 145's are a dying breed. I would have certainly fared a worse fate had I stayed on at that side of the house. Fortunately for me, everyone has this notion that everything that is said by BB is negative and is a scare tactic. While I'm sure BB plays the downturns into his favor, I've always felt that with regard to his prediction/observations of the 50 seat market, he's been right on. Everyone needs to recognize that we both benefitted from this merger in some sort of way. Frontier gained the aid they needed to exit BK and Republic needed a home for 145/170 and 190's exclusively. Unfortunately, like a Hollywood wedding, it's time to part ways.

 

[Bolo]

We will see what "The big picture" turns out to be. So far it has just been providing substandard pay, and terrible work rules.

Obviously you are talking about the RAH substandard pay and work rules? Right?

 

[USMC319]

I can tell you what the "Big Picture" looks like from my perspective. I have no illusions that Frontier pilot's will have any significant improvements in pay or benefits until we eventually become whatever it is we become when we grow up. Frontier has always provided an excellent product and service, unfortunately they have always been severely under funded. Our hope is that the divestiture by RAH will finally fix that. Maybe it will or maybe it won't. In the meantime we enjoy one of the better CBAs in the industry and our pay is on par with our peers and better than UAL and USAir at the moment.

On the CPA side of the house I am not so optimistic. The 50 seat business is dead. All the other commuter airlines are restructuring or going broke. If your new contract ends up being as good as the one you have now, I'll be surprised. It's a crappy environment to be negotiating in for sure. I sincerely wish you the best of luck.

 

[UnstableAviator]

On the CPA side of the house I am not so optimistic. The 50 seat business is dead. All the other commuter airlines are restructuring or going broke. If your new contract ends up being as good as the one you have now, I'll be surprised. It's a crappy environment to be negotiating in for sure. I sincerely wish you the best of luck.

Well, it can't really get much worse since we're already the bottom of the barrel, so to speak. For your sake at F9, I hope there is a separation and you guys get to keep on keepin' on. This whole integration, disolution/replacement of YX, and IMSL has been an awkward situation for many of us native RAH'ers.

The idea our management had of running 37-50 seaters for an LCC operation in a secondary market bloodbath is laughable. BB&Co proved their ineptness with Mokulele, and carried forth the same incompetency with F9. I think many of us here can say this whole mess has gone exactly as we knew it would; poorly.

RAH...the worst in the biz. We've closed 16 pilot bases in the last 7 years, just for an example.

 

[Wesb737fo]

Hmm.. Interesting points. Not sure what happens from here, but, the way I remember it was that after Bedford moved into MKE as a stand alone operation, his costs per seat mile was astronomical. Over 15cents per seat mile with the 35 and 50 seaters. The larger RJs began coming in and the purchase of F9 was supposed to bring costs in line with AirTran and SWA. Obviously this strategy hasn't worked. Republic was essentially two airlines, Fixed Fee and stand alone. Yes the fixed fee made money because you don't pay for gas. Stand alone lost money because it's a tough market to make money flying rjs at $100/bl oil. F9 has a tough go against SWA in Den and AAI in MKE. Small airline against the 400 lb gorilla. Maybe the best thing is for F9 is a merger with VA and/ or Spirit. Republic can go back to all fee for departure flying.

 

[embraerjetpilot]

Nope. B52 has it right...

What frontier is soon to be is just a mainline version of go jets and freedom I

 

[Captain Morgan]

Nope. B52 has it right...

What frontier is soon to be is just a mainline version of go jets and freedom I

Oh brother, nice drive by post.

 

[boomlrd]

Maybe Spirit will buy Frontier on the cheap.

 

[freightrash]

Those 145's 170's and 190's are what has kept Frontier in business for the past year and a half. Without the money siphoned off from them to keep them going it would have been gone long ago[/QUOTE]

Frontier has also been there to keep a bunch of pilots at RAH employed as well. Without us where would those RJ's have gone? Little hint: Desert! It goes both ways Buddy![/QUOTE]

no, it would have gone to PHX, PDX and SEA

 

[Bolo]

Those 145's 170's and 190's are what has kept Frontier in business for the past year and a half. Without the money siphoned off from them to keep them going it would have been gone long ago

Frontier has also been there to keep a bunch of pilots at RAH employed as well. Without us where would those RJ's have gone? Little hint: Desert! It goes both ways Buddy!

no, it would have gone to PHX, PDX and SEA

Right, and you were my CFII instructor from Purdue University as well!

 

[chqflyer]

Right, and you were my CFII instructor from Purdue University as well!

Actually, ol' BB did come out and tell us lowly rj pukes that he did pass up on some FFD flying because he was so involved with his F9 experiment. The face that talks to you people preaches a much different sermon than the face that talks to us. So who knows? We may have been flying our Barbie jets out of PHX or wherever.

 

[Captain Morgan]

Actually, ol' BB did come out and tell us lowly rj pukes that he did pass up on some FFD flying because he was so involved with his F9 experiment. The face that talks to you people preaches a much different sermon than the face that talks to us. So who knows? We may have been flying our Barbie jets out of PHX or wherever.

I find it it funny that everyone at RAH hates BB and say he's always lying and it's a negotiation tactic until that is, it is something you want to hear or suits your needs.

 

[chqflyer]

I find it it funny that everyone at RAH hates BB and say he's always lying and it's a negotiation tactic until that is, it is something you want to hear or suits your needs.

Umm, BB stated in a memo that he did ignore several opportunities because of the distraction of the whole branded mess. You were at RAH long enough to have seen that some of his communications have been less than honest from time to time. I don't think he outright lies constantly, but I don't blindly believe everything he says either.

 

[Axel]

Captain Morgan, you were doing pretty well for a while posting logically and avoiding hyperbole, but you backslid with that last post.

 

[Captain Morgan]

I'm just commenting on what I kept and keep hearing from people at RAH. I get that you all don't like BB, to be honest he's not my most favorite either but, that doesn't mean I don't believe things he says or doubt what he doesn't. I just keep hearing the union rhetoric, "it's a negotiating tactic." I kept hearing that when he said the 145's were on the way out. I tend to believe BB which is why I am here at Frontier. If you take BB and the union and meet somewhere in between them, there's the truth. That's just my opinion.

 

[B52GUNNER]

I'm just commenting on what I kept and keep hearing from people at RAH. I get that you all don't like BB, to be honest he's not my most favorite either but, that doesn't mean I don't believe things he says or doubt what he doesn't. I just keep hearing the union rhetoric, "it's a negotiating tactic." I kept hearing that when he said the 145's were on the way out. I tend to believe BB which is why I am here at Frontier. If you take BB and the union and meet somewhere in between them, there's the truth. That's just my opinion.

Agreed!

 

[CrownandCoke]

hopefully, when F9 is spun off, they will bring back the Q and those of of us that were very happy at Lynx.

 

[Toobdrvr]

hopefully, when F9 is spun off, they will bring back the Q and those of of us that were very happy at Lynx.

While I really wish the best for you guys, I hope you're not holding out for that...

 

[Captain Morgan]

True, I can't imagine an airline in Colorado without Aspen service. In Bedford's terms that's a Catholic Mass without the body and blood of Jesus Christ.