There are different ways to define growth, for sure. Yes, our fleet count is flat, although it will grow in 2017. However, our available seat miles for the airline as a whole has grown substantially. They didn't hire 450 pilots for nothing. Utilization is way up, and our passenger seat count is way up. Swapping a 319 for a 321 is a huge amount of growth, just not from our pilot perspective. Frontier has grown just as they said it would. Maybe not the way a lot of pilots thought. Actual fleet growth is coming still

 

Am I crazy or the only sane one? Not really sure what everyone is freaking out over. Since I've been here (2013), we were always going to have just small growth until 2019, then it really ramps up....nothing's changed.


Unless I missed something, I always thought the plan was fleet replacement (old, for new), then when fully swapped out, straight growth....that's exactly what's happened so far + some unplanned 321s...like all of them.

 

Yes, you must be the only sane one. Some of us that are 'freaking out' have been here much longer than you. This is my fifth management team going back to Potter and third ownership. Each one has promised this pilot group the sky and had a vision that was going to be great for Frontier. Each one to date has failed. Each time our hopes were dashed, and we barely survived as an airline. We endured the Republic debacle. It is understandable to have our guard up and be cautiously skeptical (although I am personally optimistic with the Indigo ownership, but not the BB / JN leadership).

Compared to many, it has been pie in the sky for you. During your brief time here, the economy has been good, all airlines are making record profits, you have enjoyed a very quick upgrade at a major airline in an Airbus, and the only ownership team you have experienced here has so far delivered (minus the lousy contract and schedules).

Congratulations and good for you, but please don't come on here and talk down to me and tell me you are the only sane one. (And since when is a 3 year old 320, that is going away, an old airplane??)

 

72 airframes by years end. That's the plan and it's on schedule.

Increased aircraft utilization has taken us to the need of 8 crews per airframe vs 5.

 

Cold whiskey. I meant no offense. I apologize if offense was taken, and I didn't mean to insinuate that 3 years on property was a long time. I know many have been at F9 longer then I have even been flying 121, and I have been lucky. I understand the skepticism. It's good to always have your guard up in this industry. I was simply trying to point out that thus far the plan has been unfolding in the manner that was layed out...at least since I've been here.

Personal note. Thank you to all of the pilots that have been at F9 since way before I was, and have made sacrifices that have allowed me to have a job here!

 

These other startups are proof in the pudding. Frontier is very profitable. The business model works, and works well. They wouldn't invest in a model like Frontier if it wasn't very profitable.
Fact, that's what they do.

 

Hey guys, quick question. What does a "silver bullet" do for ones application?

 

Essentially nothing nowadays. It used to be an almost guaranteed interview. It's supposed to put your resume at the top of the stack, which it doesn't even do that anymore.

 

You'd be the first I've heard saying that.

 

Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm totally wrong. I have a limited experience with silver bullets, and it has done no good for my candidate. In my experience (I was a silver bullet recipient), it neither helped get me an interview (I had an invitation to interview before my silver bullet sponsor had written it up), nor helped my candidate.

My experience has been that a silver bullet is fine, but you still have to attend a job fair, barring a few individuals who occasionally get on without attending one. So why bother trying to get a silver bullet?

Again, I hope I'm wrong.