Sign on/retention bonus
 

Frontier Bonus Program: starting with our next new hire pilot class, new​ hire pilots will be offered a pre-​employment​ bonus of $35,000 dollars coupled with a promise to pay Frontier back if they leave prior to ​three years from​ their start date

Congrats to future new hires

Huh. Hadn't seen this.

Prorated?

Awesome for them and I think a good move….for them…BUT I can’t wait to hear from the union regarding the rest of us.

It’s in Docunet Aero

I figure there's nothing the union can do about this. If there was, I assume one of the regional unions would have.

I’m sure they will kick and scream, but it’s in our contract. What a dumb thing to allow the company to have. Lesson learned for this next go around. Effectively raises first year pay to 128ish per hour. Or 90 dollars more per hour than pre 2018 hires….my goodness.

Hear what? What they can do about it?

Just like what they can do about all of the outstanding grievances... Nothing.

This is a 3 year training contract disguised as a bonus. The option to continue to increase first year pay is still there but they’ve decided to do this instead cause it’s cheaper. It’s also less equitable for pilots already here.

Buyer beware! I WOULD NOT come to F9 for this and if I did, I would keep the money in savings to repay it if hired elsewhere. Think hard before you shackle yourself in the current hiring market.

I guess a strongly worded letter…

I’ll just have to accept the seniority gains as my consolation prize in knowing a year 1 guy is making more than myself.

Thats how I am looking at it... I will take the 8 months seniority over the 35k bonus.

I started here at $37/ hour.

Roughly what this sign on bonus is.... and i aint mad. It's good to see the profession paying more.

Seniority is priceless

Every increase you have had since then has been a part of collective bargaining. I’ve been a lurker long enough to know you avoid dumping on F9 management, but this is something worthy for you to be upset about. It’s a workaround.

That's definitely true.

I've been watching the regionals do this for over a decade now. And it doesn't seem like there's a thing the unions can do about it. Unfortunate for the progress of our next CBA, no doubt. But I don't think there's anything we can do about it. This was inevitable

It doesn't bother you that the company is, in essence, violating the contract by paying someone with a seniority date 30 days junior to someone else, ~$13/hour more?

It doesn't bother me new hires are getting hotels, higher pay, etc., but the continuous chicken**** antics are getting old.

Well those are the rules. Company is just playing by them. Just like any pilot does when it comes to the myriad of contract issues on a daily basis

Is there any truth that the company came to the union and offered $30 pay raises across the board, And the union said only if we clean up the grievances? If true should have taken the free money. It's a higher starting point for next contract and you don't know what's going to happen in the current economy.

If someone is coming here for a type with the desire to go to a legacy, they’re not going to turn down Delta over $35k. Folks at the regionals are paying back larger retention bonuses everyday.

A contract isn't worth anything if it's ignored.

This management team has treated pilots as the enemy to success.

Ask your reps about the company asking for an across the board raise. It never happened. But that's exactly the kind of BS management would put out to divide us. Not accusing the company of anything but we should be careful with rumors.

Yet people with over 4 years are leaving in numbers that seem to be increasing. I wonder why. I just flew with a captain with 5.5 years who said he was gonna try for Delta.

So the 11/28 class would be offered this bonus? You can say no? Where is this info posted to verify?

After the bonus tax of 22%, a pilot would be foregoing a career at a legacy airline for $27,300. I think pilots are smarter than that.

Section 3.R, company can give bonuses at their “discretion” nothing the Union can do about this. This is on us.

The timing of this coincides with a slow down in regional hiring at the FO level. (More and more cancelled regional classes) The WOs are fat on FOs who are not doing a whole lot.

Also, if you can believe the rumors F9 is running short on applications.

This might be a means to lure some of those FOs who are not flying and commuting to SCR at a regional. The first year pay and bonus might convince some to jump ship depending on how one does the calculus

free money is Free money. If true

The regionals did the same thing. We all said it wouldn’t keep many around. Then bam less than a year later line captains are making 200-250k and LCAs are making over 400.

Sent via internal company memo this morning. Assuming verbiage of “offering” means you can say no, and memo said “next new hire class”

….. filler

It didn't happen. And if it did, I can assure you it wouldn't be free.

So this post is fake?

I don’t have any info, news to me which is why I came here to see if anyone else knew. But, just got off a DH and had a new voicemail waiting. Someone calling with an “exciting new opportunity for new FOs.” I’m in the 28th class, so I’m assuming it’s this bonus and sounds like we are eligible. All I know so far is “check for all email by end of day, and opt in by the 16th.”

So what’s it going to be? Take the money and put it into a treasury note paying good interest or say no thanks I intend to leave in 1000 days or less?

1 year CD rates are 4%, take the 35k and pocket the interest after a year, then quit.

That is "THE" question that any prospective applicant or new-hire should be asking.

The Company publicly portrays a situation where Frontier is attracting all of the pilots (and more) that it needs. This is technically true, but retention is the issue. Granted, unless the name of the Company is United, Delta, or Fed Ex, most airlines are experiencing problems with attrition.

But here at Frontier:

• After years of resistance, why has Frontier recently decided it was in their best interest to provide hotel rooms for new-hires.
• Frontier followed that decision with one raising 1st year pay to $75.00/hr then a few months later to $90/hr or whatever it is now.
• Now a cash bonus to new-hires in an effort to keep them on property for 3 years.

So.......

• Why is it that 244 F/O's have resigned in the last 2 years? Their average longevity? 2.4 years. For perspective, in that same period of time Frontier has hired 657 pilots yet the seniority list has grown by just 347 pilots (26 retirements and a few terminations/deaths).
• And why have 17 CAPT's resigned in the last 7 months? Their average longevity? 8.1 years! - One of these was a 51 year old CAPT with 9 years of longevity who also happened to be a member of the negotiating committee that negotiated the 2019 CBA
• Why is there suddenly a trend of Frontier pilots retiring early?

Interesting that a number (not insignificant) of those who have resigned this year point to the surprise closure of the ORD domicile as the reason they chose to move on? Also high on the list is concern over the senseless sick call section 19's earlier in the year.

It also seems kind of odd that 80% of the initial Purdue University new-hire class no longer work at Frontier? One of them was a union rep.
https://polytechnic.purdue.edu/newsr...ssional-flight

Purdue provided some quality pilots for Frontier. Unfortunately, a few years behind the curtain and a pilot friendly hiring environment has sent them packing.

Anyone know the status of the Australian visa program Frontier wanted to use to hire pilots that essentially would tie them to employment at Frontier?

It is obvious that Frontier is no longer considered a legit long term career option for many pilots. Something is broken!

Had one of the Australian guys in my class. He’s at United.

El Gipple,

You ask a lot of questions. I think the answer to all of them is; we are in a once in a career hiring environment.

The industry has never had such massive amounts of retirement and hiring.

No clue. Finishing up a turn, just got the email with multiple PDF attachments. One says a $35K bonus. Another is titled Promissory Note. I’ll have to read when I get home tonight.

But for me, I have no intent of getting a type and bailing. Hoping to stick around. Not sure why they drew a line in the sand with our class. I was coming here in 2 weeks regardless. Sucks you guys already here don’t get a bonus :confused:

No truth to this from union rep that bought lunch at RGS.

What is the tax hit going to be on $35K? You’re already in the hole as soon as you take the money due to taxes. It’s not like you can let it sit somewhere and not have to pay taxes on it. Right?

https://www.paycheckcity.com/calculator/flatbonus

Roughly about 10k

I’m gonna pass on the money. We only have one day to consider everything. I’m not comfortable with that. Hopefully it’s not a ding against me.