To say the union has no leverage isn't all the way true. The way frontier wants to staff the airline with C-172 jockeys requires significant changes in the training department. They are not having good success with new hires in the current footprint. There are places the union can get in the way when it comes to training. If this is the hiring pool that BB and BL want then the union can make it painful and that can lead to a contract.

 

I refuse to quote long posts, but that post was really a funny read. !

I don't really disagree with any of it or any of the stuff that's been posted lately about our leverage position.

Unfortunately, the pipeline of cadets that Frontier came up with will help management significantly. That being said, we still have the RLA process and we are just going to have to slowly jump thru all the hoops and get the Arbitrator to at least threaten to release us to self help. Leverage be damned, we are just going to have to play the game.

It's going to take a while, but the NC has a plan to get us there. They got us to arbitration very quickly. Have faith in the plan and the people. JL has done this before and he's got the help of the top ALPA negotiations attorney, Bruce York. All hope is not lost, but patience is required in large doses.

 

According to a union person I talked to, the company is actually kind of interested in getting stuff moving and working with us.

We shall see how that info holds up. (I am probably wrong)

 

God willing, you're right. But I can't imagine why they'd feel a desire/need to get something done or even make meaningful progress unless they have something big planned that we aren't aware of. I hope that just pushing through the RLA process, and a need to staff incoming aircraft, will provide the leverage to get a deal done reasonably swiftly but I'm not holding my breath. Fingers crossed though.

 

They have recently been preaching 'want to grow to 1000 airplanes' in all the indoc related guest speaker talk. Whether it's reality or not, if they want to grow even to 500 aircraft they have to cut the attrition down. The contract has to come.

I would not be surprised if they are in fact willing to play ball.

 

They gave the same power point presentation when I started years ago. Don’t look too much into it.

 

tbf, I never received that, we got the spirit merger talk and the 250 planes in 6 years talk. Never anything about 1000 planes or any growth over 500.

 

Yeah, I suspect in the next 2 years or so that Indigo/Frontier will put in another Airbus order based on the length of our current lease agreements and size of Airbus' order backlog. Only time will tell.

 

Update: rumor (basically confirmed) lately that the May class will be 10, and allegedly all SJU locals to help staff that base.

 

It has to be soon because I think the new AA order doesn’t start coming in until 2030. That’s about when our order book ends.