Airline Already Benefitted From Fee Cuts During United's Bankruptcy

If Frontier Airlines asks Denver International Airport for help to reduce some of the bankrupt carrier's costs, the airport says they'll work with the airline... and any others down the line who may need similar considerations.

That's the word from officials at DEN, who told The Denver Post this week they're willing to help, in order to retain service at the Rocky Mountain airport.

"If the airline were to come to us and ask for some considerations, I'm sure we would consider it," spokesman Chuck Cannon said Monday. "We did with United," which also has a hub at Denver International.

As ANN reported, Frontier filed for Chapter 11 protection late last week, after one of its credit card providers announced a drastic increase in the percentage of funds it would holdback against ticket purchases. The carrier stressed it plans to continue operating, unlike three other airlines that entered bankruptcy in the preceding weeks -- ATA, Aloha, and Skybus.

"We cannot treat any airline differently than we do any other airline," Cannon said, as DEN receives federal funding. "There are certain things we can do, and there are certain things we can't do."

In the case of United -- which filed for Chapter 11 in 2002, and exited protection in 2006 -- DEN agreed to settle old debts with the nation's second-largest airline, while helping the carrier to overhaul its operations at the airport. Those changes -- which included cuts in landing fees and lease charges at DEN through 2010 -- also benefitted Frontier. 

"You're not showing favoritism for big airlines, small airlines, hometown airlines, anybody," Cannon said.

So far, Frontier has not gone to DEN with hat in hand. "All contracts and all partnerships are up for discussion and review to ensure that we can come out of this thing as strong and as financially viable as possible," airline spokesman Joe Hoda said.

Even as it works to streamline operations, Frontier says it also intends to continue growing its operations at DEN, including finding more gates for use by its mainline operations, as well as Frontier's upstart Lynx regional turboprop operation.

FMI: www.frontierairlines.com