Airline Employees Take One For The Team

It's an important step, one that Frontier Airlines hopes will help keep it in business as the carrier slogs through Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Frontier announced this week members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union "overwhelmingly" voted to support temporary wage and benefit concessions requested by the company.

The Teamsters represent about 430 people at Frontier including mechanics and related workers, tool room employees, aircraft appearance agents and material specialists. As ANN reported, union leadership agreed to the tentative terms late last month.

"This outcome clearly represents the incredible support and confidence level that our employees have in Frontier," said Frontier Chief Operating Officer, Chris Collins. "These employees are the individuals who ensure that we are operating a safe and reliable airline everyday. I not only want to thank them but I would also like to thank the Teamsters for their support throughout this process."

"We are pleased that our members have supported the short term concessions to contribute to the long term success of Frontier," said Matthew Fazakas, President and Principal Office of Teamsters Local 961. "We believe that their support is another indication of the positive relationship that we have built with Frontier."

Frontier asked all of its employees, both represented and non-represented, to take temporary wage and benefit concessions to help the airline as it attempts to, among other things, secure debtor in possession financing. Frontier's other two unions -- the Frontier Airlines Pilots Association (FAPA) and the Transportation Workers Union (TWU) -- ratified agreements for those concessions two weeks ago.

At the beginning of May, Menke and other members of the executive management team also agreed to up to 20% in wage and benefits concessions. As a condition of the concessions, Frontier plans to reexamine all the pay cuts in September... based on the developing financial condition of the company and current economic conditions.

FMI: www.frontierairlines.com, www.teamsters.org