Former Frontier crew, was it worth it? Why?
 

For those of you who came to United from Frontier, how much greener is the grass over there, and more specifically, why?

As much as Frontier has its problems (and lagging payscale), I'm curious about what specific reasons make United a much better place to work in terms of pay, QOL, and day-to-day flying? I know that when I came to Frontier from the regional I quickly realized how much better it was, the trips at Frontier are much easier than the regional (2 x 3hr legs vs 4 or 5 legs to get similar credit), I get 15-19 days off a month at Frontier vs 12-15 at a regional, and my ability to swap/drop trips is pretty reasonable. I guess my point is that while I was at the regional, I didn't realize how much better it was at Frontier, a lot of people viewed it as a 'lateral move' to come here, but in my experience, it simply isn't the case.

So now this has me thinking, for what reasons is United better than Frontier, aside from the payscale? How much better can it be flying the same aircraft, staying at the same/similar hotels and going to the same/similar destinations? How long does it take at United to get 15-19 days off a month, is it consistent throughout the bases? How easy is it to trade/drop trips? Would a new-hire expect to be stuck on redeye trips for a while?

Thanks for your input ya'll <3

Following. Would love to hear the same from former Spirit.

for the record I’m not prior former Frontier.

As with many things in aviation, it depends.
The base and aircraft you’re after might be a little more senior than another. Are you commuting? It’s easy to get 15 + days off especially if you go for productivity. You certainly have the ability to try different fleets from Airbus to 737, 757, 767, 777, & 787. Each airplane has its advantages and mission. We certainly have more bases and different aircraft. I will speak about the 737 as that’s what I do. I’m all over the place with overnights but I live :15 from the lot and bid for productivity. I can remember usually getting from 15-19 days off year. I’m mid 50percentile. I’ll do Caribbean, Central America, domestic and Canada in one month. Sometimes one trip. It’s good. Legacy carrier contracts have largely homogenized so we’re all pretty comparable. My only gripe is straight dropping trips could be easier but I get it. Its better for FOs as I understand but that’s just someone’s opinion.

Wide-Body-Flying

17-18 days off a month and the company issues me a pillow and blanket when I get to the airplane.

Current F9 here. One thing I have noticed from all of my friends and classmates who left F9 for United was......... WIDEBODIES. oh, and DEN was junior at United compared to a 15 year wait for CA here at F9. Or they lived in Chicago.... but we all know what happened with that base recently.

Other than that, the usual "ulcc compared to legacy" stuff where they probably get treated a little better and get some better benefits, etc. Also they don't deal with some of the operational stuff we deal with every day.

As a former F9 guy I can relate to the question. I was on the fence about making the switch because I had a lot of seniority. I ended up doing it because I was a Denver guy and never was going to hold the left seat in Denver at Frontier. I can already hold captain on the airbus or 73 in Denver or anywhere else. So anyway I am really glad I made the switch.

Frontier pros
Most of all is schedule flexibility and trip trading
Better sick time
Better vacation
Crews are generally more laid-back

United pros
Pay/Benefits
The hotels are much better, and transportation is always reliable
crew meals
MX/ramp actually helps the operation
so many more options, in terms of aircraft and types of flying
I have never done a red-eye
variety of trips 1-4 days
showtimes are more reasonable (banker hours)
Not a hostile work environment. it feels like an airline that wants to be an airline being at Frontier always felt toxic.

bottom line if you live in one of frontiers bases that isn’t one of United‘s and like day turns and don’t care about the constant Frontier bull**** stay

crew meals >

Lol. No red-eyes huh? You must be pretty new, give it time!

My friend is on the Bus in EWR and in almost 2 years has never done a red eye.

Same. Several years on the 737 and avoided them in PBS from day one. Eventually learned I like certain ones and would bid them, but I don't see it being very difficult to avoid them.