I wouldn't doubt that our management would try to get something significant going in Colorado Springs. Simply because we have tried it before and failed, and then pulled out. That seems to be the management style at F9. I have seen destinations started, and then closed, and then restarted a few months later, and then closed again. We spend so much money to start, stop, restart, stop, ect. that it is hard to remember where we fly to.

 

Did your little birdie tell you why Frontier pulled out of the COS focus city in 2013? It's only been two years and we are heading back again, for the 3rd time? Last I read the COO was kissing babies at the CLE hospital and we were going to be Clevelands new home town airline! So I bought a house there, now I need to sell and buy one in COS.

 

A lot of talk about shrinking DEN without displacing. Doesn't the contract require them to backfill vacancies created by those that leave voluntarily?

 

Well... good questions for someone that knows a lot more that I. From the hearings that I have, new BOD of the airport has many gates available at a price we really can't refuse with huge opportunity for our new business model. With all the changes it would makes sense to re-enter this market. As I see it, we are an entirely new business model... Not anything what we were when Frontier was there previously. I foresee (and remember my previous warning that I am not in the know. I am not a smart man Jennay...) us having a base in COS and DEN as we cannot leave the DEN market and fully operate only in COS. I could see this easily getting pilots out of DEN and opening opportunities out of both airports without hurting the operation in both markets. This, being the entire Denver area, is one of the fastest growing areas in the entire country.
I personally have such a hard time believing a huge commitment like a base in CLE right now. We need to get our "ULCC" model perfected before attempting to go head to head there with Spirit entirely. At least now, we can do it, see if it works and then attack it when we have all our ducks in a row. I see the East coast base somewhere else, like where the previous posts were mentioning.
Whew... all this speculation has made my dead dizzy.... I LOVE THIS JOB!!!! Me... I am putting a down payment on a house in Aruba.... we will have a base there in four months anyways.

 

It doesn't matter how cheap the gates are at COS. Siegel and Indigo are trying to create some leverage at DIA by talking about other Denver area airports. Think "love field", only smaller.

Oh, and don't think for a second that Siegel worries about displacements. He doesn't care. If there is a lowest cost solution that results in you being based in BFE you will be based in BFE. You don't matter, you're a number.

 

The most accurate statement to date.

It's hard for most people to understand and internalize the complete lack of what would normally be considered innate human empathy shown by this ownership group and their minions. If they could save one penny by overnighting crews in a ratty Best Western as opposed to the Four Seasons, they'd do it. EVERY decision being made is based SOLELY on money with ZERO value placed on customer or employee satisfaction.

Personal inconvenience and levels of satisfaction--whether employee or passenger--are assigned the value of ZERO.

This approach is similar to how rotten regional airlines are run. Meet minimum performance standards to keep the revenue stream alive. Disgruntled employees will be threatened and otherwise coerced into a minimum level of job performance. Employees who are not trapped here for one reason or another will leave. Costs of attrition will be more than offset by the benefits of having a less senior pilot group. The sifting effect will leave nothing but misfits and indentured servants to fly the airplanes. Who better to carry the water.

Come here as a placeholder. Unless and until this place undergoes a RADICAL transformation, it's not a career airline.

 

A friend of mine recently got an interview at Frontier after attending a job fair. When asked by a recruiter, if he failed any checkrides during his primary training, he said mistakenly failed his Commercial single add-on when it was his CFI single-engine checkride. (basically the same checkride.) Should he be concerned, or admit his mistake during the interview? He said he doesn't have a contact number to call to admit his error.

 

The key with the Frontier recruiting team is to be honest. If your friend is asked about failed checkrides at the interview tell them the truth. He should not be concerned about the error stated at the job fair.

 

Frontier management still doesnt have a long term plan. It feels like I'm in a high school business class project. For those of you who have faith in managements decisions, I would highly recommend against it.

COS was a firkin joke last time we were flying out of there. It didn't last long until we shut it down.

 

This really is true! The paradigm has shifted, and any effort to project success or failure in ANY market by looking at the old Frontier's experience only exposes our inability to fully appreciate the scope of this transformation.