Southwest submits proposal to acquire Frontier Airlines

[brokedash]

A buying of assets.....not a merger.

if u read one of the first post it seems to state WN intially buying F9 for assests and then merging after completing the labor talks and off loading the 319s. Anyrate best to all @ F9 and flying 73s for WN is a helluva lot better option than flying 190s for Bedford's sweatshop.

 

[pilotgolfer]

Unfortunately, this is a true possibility. They could fence off F9, and then just let us die on the vine. There is virtually no equity left in any of our aircraft, so anybody they sells our assets would break even at best. 113M for Denver, our slots into LGA, DCA, SNA ect, and 25% of denver market is a bargain. Again, I am obviously hoping that this is not the intent, but we shall see...

Southwest will probably appoint John Denison to be Frontier's CEO. He will pretend to be your friend for a while. Next he will cancel all of Frontier's routes that overlap with Southwest. He'll then say that Frontier can't make any money with the routes that are left so he's selling all of the remaining Airbus. Denison will then return to his Board of Director's position at Southwest.

Southwest will offer preferential interviews to those pilots that have a 737 type rating. Of the pilots they interview, they will hire 3.


I'm saying all this in jest, of course. I hope it works out for the pilots at Frontier.

 

[Frank Lorenzo]

If the Southwest pilots agree to binding arbitration, it will be a disaster for them. "Relative seniority" is all the rage with arbitrators now and is an easy cop out. Frontier pilots will get a great deal seniority wise, and a huge pay raise. Interesting that even giving DOH to the Frontier pilots would probably be better damage control than relative seniority.

Southwest pilots will be left losing seniority and every last one of Frontier's (non-compatible, non-737) planes will go BUH-BYE.

If I were a Southwest pilot I would go for the staple. Nothing to lose.

 

[johnsonrod]

I agree that you F9 guys will need to do everything possible to avoid another ATA situation. That was a DISASTER. Southwest does not always play nice - watch your backs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Fubijaakr]

Now please step aside and let this F9 pilot take your already prolonged upgrade and or good schedule.

This won't happen.

Unfortunately, this is a true possibility. They could fence off F9, and then just let us die on the vine..

This certainly COULD happen. Draw down F9 as you ramp up SWA service to DEN.

It's not going to go that way. Ask the ATA guys. They will draw down the airline over a few years offering interviews to Frontier employees AS NEEDED.

That would be the historic way SWA handles these things. Morris and ATA are prime examples.

That said, its MUCH better for F9 pilots to end up at SWA than RAH. Let's all hope SWA prevents the RAH Borg from assimilating F9.

 

[Old School 737]

Just like the ATA deal SWA wants the gates. Could care less about planes, people and routes. Sad. Could open the door for United or some other carrier to fill in on the South of the border flying when the Frontier flights no longer operate them.

 

[Flying the Line]

F9 will add to the southwest network by flying: Mexico, Costa Rica, ANC, Transcons, ect.

 

[Old School 737]

F9 will add to the southwest network by flying: Mexico, Costa Rica, ANC, Transcons, ect.

To start with you are correct. But the long term prognosis is not so good. In my opinion. I think they give the airbus to Volaris to operate the South of the border stuff.

 

[Minimaniac]

Hmmm. The end result seems good for F9 pilots, but the short term seems painful. F9 pilots do F9 flying, but SWA slowly draws that down. F9 pilots can get on (at bottom of the list via preferential hiring) at SWA, but only as quickly as expansion allows. Anyone see enough expansion in the next five years to accommodate the entire F9 list? Over time, F9 pilots will all find a home, but a lot of guys may end up in limbo for a year or two. Well, maybe not all, because SWA wants to HIRE you, not just send you to 737 class.

Of course F9 pilots would rather go to SWA than RAH, and a future with SWA is far brighter than one at RAH. BUT BUT BUT, the current "plan" from SWA is not good enough. If RAH is willing to take you on without an interview, SWA should, too. What is the point of paying your dues if the SWA hiring committee can just send you packing? Demand integration, or enjoy being an ugly chapter in SWA history that the kool-aid pushers sweep under the rug.

 

[waveflyer]

It goes w/o saying that Frontier could still go in 10 different directions-