Here's the year 1 compensation breakdown:
$37.59/hour @ 75 hours/month guarantee = $33,831 base salary
You must pay for your own accommodations in training
You must pay for your own uniform
You're given a $600 (taxed) stipend to buy an iPad as your EFB. If you break it you won't be reimbursed for another so you'll want a protection plan.
No 401k matching for 12 months
If your spouse works for an employer that offers medical and you add him/her to your medical plan they'll charge an additional $100/month on top of your premium. They call it a "working spouse surcharge".
It's a nice place to come to work, but I don't believe there will be any explosive growth beyond better fleet utilization. When compared to other Airbus carriers in the US our overall compensation does appear low; however, between Allegiant, Frontier, Spirit, Virgin America, and JetBlue there's not a huge difference. The high pay is only at the legacies and we simply don't have the economies-of-scale, profits, or proven business model to reach those wages. I think the pilot contract is amendable in 2015, but there are still unresolved issues with representation and the IMSL with Republic pilots.
Maybe Frontier isn't your first choice, but it's not a bad choice. It's far better than numerous regional airlines today. Wherever you go you're rolling the dice.
Last edited by Barley; 02-26-2014 at 09:29 AM.