Pilots at ultra-low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines are to hold a strike authorization vote after the Association of Airline Pilots (ALPA), which represents flight crew at the Denver-based airline, said it had failed to offer wages that reflect the value of its pilots.
The strike authorization vote opened on Monday and will close on Tuesday, October 15, in the latest dispute for the airline, after flight attendants voted overwhelmingly in favor of a strike following a recent change in business strategy by CEO Barry Biffle.
The pilot contract became amendable in January, and just three months later, the union entered into federal mediation with Frontier in an attempt to reach a negotiated settlement.
Captain Michael Maynard, who is the chair of the Frontier ALPA Master Executive Council, says the union is still hoping to find a “fair resolution at the bargaining table” but that his members “are compelled to take this additional step because of management’s unwillingness to provide a contract that reflects our value.”
“While we have seen progress in a few sections of our contract, we are still far from a comprehensive agreement that our pilots will ratify,” Maynard said on Monday. “Our pilots have kept this airline profitable and efficient through challenging times.”
Maynard added: “It is past time for Frontier’s management to acknowledge the work of all Frontier pilots and agree to a collective bargaining agreement the pilots have earned.”
Earlier this year, Biffle transitioned Frontier to what is known as a ‘turn only’ business model in which pilots and flight attendants start and end each day at their respective crew bases.
It is known as a ‘turn’ because the plane arrives at its destination and then immediately turns back around. The idea is to save money by reducing the number of crew layovers and overnight hotel costs while also ensuring that the airline can quickly recover during irregular operations.
The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) which represents crew members at Frontier has been exceptionally critical of the strategy because it means flight attendants are losing out on overnight allowances.
The union estimates that wages for many flight attendants have plummeted by as much as 20% since Frontier transitioned to the turn-only model.
AFA-CWA would like Frontier to renegotiate the flight attendant contract outside of regular bargaining, arguing that the strategy shift represents a major dispute under the Railway Labor Act.
Last month, the union announced that 99.6% of flight attendants had voted to authorize a strike, with a turnout of 92.7% eligible crew members. The vote is, however, non-binding because federal officials have yet to accept the union’s request for mediation.
Frontier Airlines accused the flight attendant union of ‘fueling fear’ amongst the traveling public in order to generate publicity for their campaign.
“Frontier Airlines is fully committed to maintaining a positive and collaborative relationship with our flight attendants and to negotiating a fair contract,” the airline told us in an emailed statement.
“However, negotiations are nowhere near a point where a strike can legally occur. The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) knows this but is resorting to tactics designed to generate publicity and fuel fear at the expense of the flying public.”
