Originally Posted by
Kestrel
Well, I think the F9 guys did what they had to do to try and keep their jobs. I don't think we should judge in hindsight- it was a different time, different economy, different environment for hiring.
They did what they needed to do, and now we know what we need to do. We need do have several months of income for a strike in as soon as six months. We need to be united behind our union and each other. We need to stop attacking each other on a public forum.
And we need to fix the first year pay for FO's because it's stupid for someone to take a 50k/yr pay cut to come here. It is a disrespect to their accumulated knowledge and experience. We WILL do that when we fix our entire pay structure.
Im pretty sure Frontier hired pilots the month following the 2007 Contract signing.....and around 50-60 others during the rest of 2007. Almost all (or all) of those pilots were furloughed in the fall of 2008 after BK declaration that summer. There were LOAs that provided for concessionary pay soon after.
Those concessions had NOTHING to do with keeping the company in business in my opinion. However, the pilots did what they thought was best at the time. Since then there was so much BS it wasnt funny (Republic outbidding Southwest, Republic f'ing up at every turn in running Frontier, a debacle of a seniority list integration that thankfully never materialized, and then Indigo swooping in and changing the whole environment at F9). I am amazed that the company pulled through and im glad they did. I have friends there who stuck it out and are still paying the consequences....but they still have a job. Growth post Indigo has allowed for quick movement in the ranks and fat $ for Indigo.
I hope F9 pilots get it all back and attain a contract that puts them where they belong, and deserve, for the job they do. They have had a rough road for the last 9 years.