Only qualitative answers, no quantitative stuff. Still pretty interesting.


DENVER (AP) - Frontier Airlines Holdings Inc. and the union representing its pilots said Thursday they have reached tentative agreement on a new four-year contract.

The pact makes significant improvements to retirement benefits and job protections, which were the key issues for the pilots, said Jeffrey Thomas, president of the Frontier Airlines Pilots Association, which represents about 650 pilots.

In a telephone interview, Thomas said the negotiations were not traditional in the sense of a hefty pay hike. "It was generally kind of a lateral move on pay" with minor cost-of-living adjustments, he said.

"It addresses a lot of the issues," Thomas said. "We're realistic about the nature of what the industry has been through in the past few years and we want to maintain the competitive structure cost-wise for the company."

The agreement, approved by the union's board of directors, will be put to the pilots for a ratification vote with a decision expected by mid-February. If approved, it would replace a contract that expired in May 2005.

"This tentative agreement is a tremendous step forward for both our pilots and the company as we collectively prepare ourselves for the strategic growth that lies ahead," Jeff Potter, Frontier's president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

Frontier's stock closed up 4 cents at $7.28 a share Thursday on the Nasdaq Stock Market. In the past year, it has traded between $5.66 a share and $9.30 a share.

Denver-based Frontier operates a hub at Denver International Airport, serving 55 destinations.