I've been lurking, and reading the complaints about compensation etc.

There are valid points being made but there is a LOT of history behind the rates. F9 employees have sacrificed to keep the doors open - waiting for the economy / oil prices / ownership / union representation to get "right". Timing (and luck) is EVERYTHING!

If you are judging your choice to leave or stay at F9 purely on hourly wage - don't waste your (and our) time interviewing. Nobody knows what our future holds but Goldman just predicted that the average WTI price for 2015 will be $75/bbl.

We survived to fight again at twice that price - with SWA working hard to put us under, a joke management team trying their hand at running aspects of an airline they had no experience with ("It couldn't be that hard! We're smurter than all the failed management teams.") and a raid by an unfriendly / totally unproductive union.

Failure to respect and PROACTIVELY acknowledge the sacrifices made by the folks interviewing you MAY be a reason for not getting the job.

Our work rules weren't touched (but aren't exactly being followed by the company right now - arbitrators will fix that eventually) during the bankruptcy / post-bankruptcy concessions. Our CONCESSIONARY pay rates suck, but, without any (likely) intervention, return to just slightly sucking at predefined intervals spelled out in the contract. The Legacy airlines had their "time in the barrel" too (lost their pensions / work rules / pay), but have gotten most, but not all, of it back.

I wouldn't bet a beer on what this industry or company will look like in a year, much less over the 20 until I retire, but for all its warts, I think Frontier is in a better position to survive and thrive than its been since I started pre 9/11.

To the guys and gals who are just making the jump from the RJ / Fractional / Military worlds I'd recommend doing some homework about the multimillion dollar career you want to have. Read "Flying The Line (1 & 2)" and Google all the news about airline bankruptcies and pilot furloughs around 1990 and 2007,8. I linked a good timeline of what we at Frontier have been through. I hope it can help interviewees understand the lens through which you're being looked at.

I still like working at "The Land of Misfit Toys" that F9 was - and can be again. The diversity of employee backgrounds (from Generals and Special Forces to Commuter Chief Pilots to piston only freight dogs) and their attendant stories taught me a lot about myself, aviation history, and how to get along with some interesting personalities - Frontier didn't hire the cookie cutter employees identified by the MMPI. Some days I wish I had stayed in landscaping... but most of the time I have fun at work. It's about attitude.

Good luck to us all!

Frontier Airlines and its turbulent journey (Slideshow) - Denver Business Journal