Congrats! Welcome aboard!

Sulkair

Welcome Aboard Bro, We are Glad to have YOU.

We are All regular folks here, with Strengths & Weakness, like normal human beings not like SW, UAL, RAH, etc..

Glad to have you, see you on the line.

WELCOME Aboard.

I really appreciate it Darin & Cloud, Thank you!

In reading all of these posts, I hope that everyone excited about interviewing or working for Frontier is taking the time to speak with those already at Frontier. From my close friends there, it doesn't seem so great and at a time when most airlines are increasing the hiring it might be good to look at others first.

What I'm told is:

Lowest pay. Pay cut on top of pay cut.
Constant disregard and manipulation of the current contract.
Constant fight for pay with the payroll dept.
Time flown being taken away after it was flown.


These are just a few examples. On the flip side, my friends there went for the culture that was Frontier. That culture is gone from what I hear. Can it return? Time will tell.

I am not suggesting that anyone does or does not go to Frontier. But advice from someone retired....go in with your eyes open. Talk to anyone you can. Learn about any place you decide to go before you go.

Best of Luck!!

Zappa,

I sure appreciate the soundness of this wisdom. You are right to point these things out. As one of the more vocally excited people posting on here, I take your words as to me personally, which is a good thing.

Firstly there is something about the newhire process that is inherently exciting right? It is sort of the nature of the beast, but I also agree it can become the dangerous song of the lovely Siren if left unchecked.

I have spoken to two senior pilots at length there, and they pulled no punches. I even heard some of what you speak.

You want the honest truth, it is scary to leave the regional Ive been at for 10 years. Mesa is growing and I would be a senior CA making way more money if I stayed.

But life is about taking risks. I think F9 is an exciting calculated risk that could pay off big for a guy in my shoes. Its either that or the slow comfortable death that is playing it safe. I work with these guys all the time, and I feel myself slowly becoming one of them. I dont disparage them, I relate and understand. But Nah, this time I choose to leap, and to FLY.

I look forward to digging up this convo 5 years from now so we can see how it went.

Again... I really appreciate the gut check, that will no doubt persist until I sit down first day of class. Thank you sir.

Zappa,
So you don't work at Frontier. You create an account and your only post is to say something negative. I find that interesting.

Enjoy retirement.

Cheers T5

But he has 3 posts, isn't that credible enough?

Every new job is a risk. The only good calculated decision you make is the day you make it. Ask the guys who were hired and furlough twice from united how excited they were when they got hired on at a major. Ask those same furloughed guys going back this year if they should have gone somewhere else if they had the chance.

All fair points..

Lowest Airbus pay in North America. We haven't taken "pay cut on top of pay cut", but the first cut in BK was deep. The additional LOA's in BK actually increased pay and added snap backs but current rates are abysmal.

Current behavior at the G.O. is the worst I have witnessed in a decade at this circus. There is one person in particular that is ruining this airline from within....but problems like this start at the top and work their way down.

The culture remains, amongst the pilot group. We may accomplish something that has never been done before and we would not have had a chance without Unity. Unfortunately the overall "culture" of Frontier is dead. We are a commodity being shopped by private equity, everyone is out for themselves at this point.

I tell everyone interested in F9 the same thing. It is a good place to work with great crews but it wouldn't be my first choice.

Here's the year 1 compensation breakdown:

$37.59/hour @ 75 hours/month guarantee = $33,831 base salary
You must pay for your own accommodations in training
You must pay for your own uniform
You're given a $600 (taxed) stipend to buy an iPad as your EFB. If you break it you won't be reimbursed for another so you'll want a protection plan.
No 401k matching for 12 months
If your spouse works for an employer that offers medical and you add him/her to your medical plan they'll charge an additional $100/month on top of your premium. They call it a "working spouse surcharge".

It's a nice place to come to work, but I don't believe there will be any explosive growth beyond better fleet utilization. When compared to other Airbus carriers in the US our overall compensation does appear low; however, between Allegiant, Frontier, Spirit, Virgin America, and JetBlue there's not a huge difference. The high pay is only at the legacies and we simply don't have the economies-of-scale, profits, or proven business model to reach those wages. I think the pilot contract is amendable in 2015, but there are still unresolved issues with representation and the IMSL with Republic pilots.

Maybe Frontier isn't your first choice, but it's not a bad choice. It's far better than numerous regional airlines today. Wherever you go you're rolling the dice.