Frontier CEO sees successful future in Denver, says airline can compete with Spirit

David Siegel, Frontier Airlines' new CEO and president, said Thursday he sees a successful future for the carrier in Denver as it increasingly focuses its operations here, despite rising competition and soaring fuel prices.

"We are very well positioned in Denver and very comfortable with the redeployment of our assets in Denver," Siegel said in an earnings call by Frontier parent company Republic Airways Holdings Inc.

Frontier -- now the No. 2 airline at Denver International Airport -- is facing competition from market leader United Airlines , a growing market presence by Southwest Airlines , and last month's announcement that low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines will begin serving DIA in May.

Siegel, a former CEO at XOJET, Avid Budget and US Airways , was named Frontier's Denver-based CEO in January. Previously, Frontier was run by executives at Indianapolis-based Republic (Nasdaq: RJET).

"We're not afraid of competition," Siegel said. "Spirit's entry [into the Denver market] will, I think, simply refocus us to become an even better competitor."

He quipped that Frontier's Denver passengers should give Spirit a try. "They'll probably do that once," he said.

I hope he knows that competing with NK is the least of his problems on his hands