TOGALOCK

Being frustrated and jaded after our last battle is understandable, but the timing of the company coming to the table with something votable was as predictable and obvious as the sun rising tomorrow. I had always wagered that the company wouldn’t come forward until early 2019. I was pleasantly surprised when it happened slightly sooner. The real growth at F9 didn’t kick into overdrive until 2019. Prior to that, while we were receiving new aircraft, we were also returning and retiring quit a few resulting in limited net growth. We were getting by in the hiring department with what we had. The company had no reason to come forward and play ball any sooner than they did.

This time around is different. Planned growth will be non-stop and, between the 10 white tails and the new order for 91 more 321s, we are now about to grow by over 100 extra planes in nearly the same time frame of the original growth plan. Pilots will be needed and we will be competing against the legacies. Let’s face it… the legacies could pay LESS than Frontier and there would still be many pilots that would choose them over us if given the choice.

We will be at the back of the pattern again for this round of negotiations. Indigo’s hand will be forced to make a move if they want to keep talent coming through the doors. We’re also a publicly traded company now. It’s a bit more difficult for the company to claim financial hardship when we have nearly $1 billion in the back and they just bought 235 new airplanes for F9 alone. I’m not saying that it won’t be without its frustrations or that the union and the company will be sitting around the negotiation table singing kumbaya, but the environment and leverage are very different this time around.