Frontier Airlines Taps University of North Dakota To Supply Pilots

Frontier Airlines has established an agreement with the University of North Dakota (UND) to supply its pilot pipeline.

As part of the agreement, UNDs aviation students can interview for a job with Frontier prior to graduation and, train with Frontier, return to UND to provide advanced instruction, then proceed with their career progression with Frontier Airlines.

Those selected for the Frontier pathways program will train with Frontier until they have received about 40 hours of operating experience (OE). Following which, they have the opportunity to return to UND as flight instructors in advanced aircraft operations courses.

During this time, those candidates retain their benefits and earn a salary from Frontier equal to what they would have earned at Frontier. After conducting approximately 250 hours of advanced instruction at UND, they can then resume their career path.

Brad Lambert, VP of Flight Operations for Frontier Airlines said “this novel agreement will enhance our future pilot pipeline and bring valuable training expertise to the university" and sees it as “a true win for both organizations." Kent Lovelace, Director of Aviation Industry Relations at UND stated that due to industry-demand for pilots, UND has had a tough time retaining experienced instructors to teach higher-level "jet transition" courses such as multi-engine systems and advanced aircraft operations which are crucial for graduates pursuing a career with the airlines.

FMI: https://aero.und.edu, https://flyfrontier.com