Frontier Airlines fined over emergency exit issue

by B. N. Sullivan

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a $380,000 civil penalty against Frontier Airlines for a slip-up that followed reconfiguration of the passenger cabins of some of the airline's planes. According to the FAA press release announcing the proposed fine:

The FAA alleges that in 2008 and 2009, Frontier reconfigured the passenger cabins on some of its Airbus A-318s and -319s, to permit dual-aisle access to the overwing emergency exits. However, the airline did not replace the existing placards with placards showing the new configuration, as required. The placards are in place to tell passengers how to operate the overwing exits. Frontier then operated these aircraft with the wrong placards in place.

The FAA says that Frontier operated the non-compliant aircraft on approximately 900 flights.

The carrier has 30 days to respond to the FAA.

Republic Airways to shut down Lynx Aviation and furlough crews

by B. N. Sullivan

When Republic Airways acquired Frontier Airlines several months ago, Lynx Aviation -- Frontier's regional turboprop subsidiary -- was a part of the deal. Now Republic has decided to do away with Lynx, shed its fleet of 11 Bombardier Q400 aircraft, and eliminate about 175 jobs.

Republic announced that Lynx Aviation will cease operations by mid-September of this year. Plans call for most of the current Lynx routes to be served in the future by Republic Airlines E-170 and E-190 aircraft, flown by Republic pilots.

Furloughs will begin in April. The Denver Post reports that of Lynx Aviation's 120 pilots and 110 flight attendants, 40 in each group will be retained until September, when remaining Lynx employees will be furloughed. The Denver Post quoted a Republic spokesman who said that Lynx employees will be given the opportunity to continue with Republic or Frontier and will receive priority hiring. Those who don't stay on will be given severance.

Republic Airways Holdings to be the new owner of Frontier Airlines

by B .N. Sullivan

The news broke just a little while ago: Republic Airways Holdings, Inc. has won in its bid to acquire Frontier Airlines, beating out competitor Southwest Airlines.

"I look forward to welcoming Frontier to our Republic family,” said Bryan Bedford, Chairman, President and CEO of Republic.

"Frontier has made impressive strides in returning to sustained profitability in a challenging and uncertain economic environment. We congratulate the employees of Frontier. Their commitment and perseverance during the bankruptcy process has allowed the Frontier brand to survive and thrive. Now, we have to turn our attention to the important work of integrating two great brands: Frontier and Midwest Airlines, which enjoy strong loyalty in Denver and Milwaukee.”

"We are pleased to have Republic as a plan sponsor,” said Sean Menke, Frontier President and Chief Executive Officer. "Today’s announcement is the beginning of a wonderful new chapter for this proud organization.”

According to a press statement issued by Southwest Airlines, a major stumbling block to their acquiring Frontier was the failure of the pilots' unions of the two carriers to resolve issues related to merging their seniority lists. The Southwest press release said, in part:

One of the contingencies in Southwest's proposal was that labor groups from the two airlines would need to reach an agreement on how the two Pilot Unions (SWAPA and FAPA) would work together. Despite a good faith and diligent effort by all involved, including the top leadership of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) and the Frontier Airlines Pilots Association (FAPA), who labored long into the night, the two unions were not able to come to an agreement before the auction deadline. As a result, Southwest’s bid was deemed unacceptable.

Southwest actually bid substantially more money for Frontier than Republic had offered, however the Southwest bid was contingent on settlement of the labor issues. In the end, Republic prevailed.

A Reuters article about the deal quoted John Stemmler, president of the Frontier Airlines Pilots' Association, who said, "It was a long process that's not quite over but I'm happy with the outcome. It happens to be aligned with keeping more jobs and we're very pleased with that."

Upon Frontier's emergence from bankruptcy, 100% of the stock will be purchased by Republic for $108.75 million.

Frontier Airlines joins the capacity reduction juggernaut

This week Frontier Airlines announced plans to reduce capacity by 17% this September, grounding seven more aircraft in addition to the four announced earlier this year. The capacity reduction also will result in the loss of a "proportional" number of jobs at the airline, according to an article in the Denver Post. The same article quoted a Frontier spokesman who said the airline is negotiating with Denver International Airport to relinquish one or more of its 22 gates.

More from the Denver Post:

The company said it hasn't determined how many employees it will let go. Competitive severance packages will be offered to those laid off and furloughed, [Frontier spokesman] Snyder said.

Some Frontier staff already have accepted pay cuts. Pilots took a 14.5 percent reduction and other concessions in May. But the chief of Frontier's pilots union said Wednesday he understands Frontier's position.

Airlines have been unable to raise fares enough to cover the rising costs of fuel, said John Stemmler, president of the Frontier Airline Pilots Association. "Something's got to give."

He sent a note to the union's 718 members Wednesday explaining that he is trying to get Frontier to allow senior pilots to take voluntary leaves of one to two years to reduce the number of involuntary furloughs.

Frontier Airlines, which is based in Denver, filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in April.

Frontier Airlines files for bankruptcy, but continues operating

The bad news: Frontier Airlines and its subsidiaries have filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code yesterday, April 10, 2008.

The good news: Frontier intends to continue to operate, according to a news release issued by the airline. Among other things included in the filing submitted to the court, Frontier Airlines stated that it intends "to provide employee wages, healthcare coverage, vacation, sick leave and similar benefits without interruption."

In a second Frontier Airlines press release, issued later today, the carrier announced that had received authorization from Judge Robert D. Drain of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York to carry on with normal business operations during its reorganization.

"We are grateful that Judge Drain granted the critical first day motions that will enable Frontier to continue normal operations," said Sean Menke, Frontier President and CEO. "Importantly, the aviation professionals of Frontier are focused today -- and will be throughout the Chapter 11 process -- on delivering exceptional customer service. Our reorganization is off to a smooth start and we look forward to taking important steps to further strengthen our Company."

Good luck to all F9 crew members and ground staff during the airline's reorganization.

Cracked windshields at DIA caused by very fine FOD?

Remember the mysterious event last month when the windshields of more than a dozen aircraft cracked on the same stormy day in Denver? At the time, airport officials said that the cause was "baffling." Now an article in the Denver Post says that 'fine particles' cracked those windshields.

The damaged aircraft belonged to SkyWest, Frontier, and Great Lakes airlines. Six of the planes developed cracks in their windshields during takeoff. One windshield cracked after landing, and two more happened during taxi. Three parked aircraft sustained windshield cracks as well, and one windshield cracked during pushback. One aircraft developed the problem in flight, at 19,000 feet.

It was cold, snowy, and very windy that day. Winds were gusting up to 48mph during the three-hour period when the windshields cracked. NTSB investigator Jennifer Kaiser said that "The only commonality across aircraft type, operator, location, time and phase of flight was the wind and weather."

The Denver Post says:

Cracked windshields on 14 planes at Denver International Airport were caused by "foreign object debris," air safety investigators said Tuesday.

Microscopic analysis of the 21 front and side windshields cracked during a storm revealed fine particles causing pitting that in turn caused cracking, National Transportation Safety Board investigator Jennifer Kaiser said. Only the outer layer of the triple-layer windshields cracked and none of the planes declared emergencies.

Flying sand? Ice pellets? We still don't know. The exact nature of the debris was unable to be determined by investigators.

Cracked windshields at DIA: How cold was it??

About a dozen aircraft at or near Denver International Airport (DIA) have sustained cracked windshields, presumably from the intense cold.

One  article about the cold weather in Denver, published on CBS News and elsewhere, says that SkyWest Airlines reported cracked windshields on eight planes that were taking off or landing yesterday as wind gusted up to 50 mph. One plane's windshield cracked while it was airborne.

Frontier Airlines also reported cracked windshields on several of its planes. An airline spokesman said that two windshields cracked in flight, and two more cracked on aircraft that were parked at DIA gates.

So how cold was Denver yesterday? It was mostly in the 30s (Fahrenheit), but there were strong winds. In fact, a Denver Post article about yesterday's weather said that "extremely high winds" had been recorded in the area by the National Weather Service:

The foothills and plains can expect winds between 80 and 100 mph for the rest of the day. Denver will experience gusts between 50 and 65 mph today.

The high winds are affecting the areas north of Denver and east of the mountains, all the way to Wyoming and out to Nebraska and Kansas.

The Denver Post article quoted Mike Baker of the National Weather Service, who explained that a jet stream at an altitude of about 30,000 ft had moved directly over Denver, with winds out of the northwest at around 185 mph. A high-pressure system had developed west of the mountains and a low pressure system had developed east of the mountains, causing the air to flow from high to low, like water, creating strong winds near the surface.

Wind-chill aside, DIA officials say they are "baffled" by all those cracked windshields.

Close calls at Denver International Airport

What's up with these close calls at DIA?

A month ago we had this tale of a runway incursion at DIA:

Frontier Airlines flight 297, an Airbus A-319, broke out of low clouds as it was about to land on runway 35 left. The Frontier flight crew saw a Swearingen Metroliner, Key Lime Air flight 4216, which had inadvertently entered the runway. The Frontier flight immediately executed a missed approach. It is estimated that the aircraft came within 50 feet of each other.

The Airport Movement Area Safety System (AMASS) alerted the control tower personnel of the situation at the same time the Frontier crew saw the Metroliner on the runway. Weather at the time of the incident was one-half mile visibility, ceiling 600 feet overcast, snow and mist.[NTSB News, Jan. 5, 2007]

Then last Friday -- same airport, different month -- it was a case of "déjà vu all over again:"

A United Airlines Boeing 737, operating as flight 1193 from Billings, Montana, landed on runway 26 at Denver International Airport (DEN). One of the pilots noticed a snowplow on the runway and the crew used maximum braking power and full use of the thrust reversers to bring the aircraft to a complete stop. The plane missed the snowplow by about 200 feet. There were no injuries to the 101 persons aboard or the operator of the snowplow.

The plow was being escorted by an airport operations vehicle that was in radio communications with the air traffic control tower, but the vehicles had become separated, with the escort vehicle already having cleared the runway. It is unclear if the snowplow was in radio communications with either the escort vehicle or the tower. Visibility at the time of the incident was about 10 miles. [NTSB News, Feb. 5, 2007]

It's been a trying season for DIA -- blizzards, runway incursions, what next? I know, don't ask!

An article about the snowplow incident that appeared on Colorado's Summit Daily News website quoted Turner West, aviation manager at Denver International, who said that the airport is working with the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration to determine what happened. West said the airport is also conducting its own investigation and has put more training in place for plow drivers.

Should we view that as a step in the right direction, or as a case of closing the barn door after the horse got out?

In any case, kudos to those Frontier and United pilots who so skillfully avoided having these incidents end up as accidents!

Frontier orders 10 turboprops

To quote the Aero-News Network (ANN), "In case you hadn't noticed... after the rush to replace turboprop airliners with regional jets a few years back, the propjets are making a comeback."

The comment is in response to the news that Frontier Airlines has ordered 10 Q400 74-seat turboprop airliners from Bombardier Aerospace, with options on 10 additional Q400 aircraft.

An article about the purchase on ANN says:

The Q400 aircraft is the airline's first turboprop. Frontier operates 280 flights a day to 57 destinations in the US, Canada and Mexico -- some of which are flown by Horizon Air as Frontier JetExpress, using Bombardier CRJ700 regional jets. (Horizon also flies Q400s on its own routes.)

"Only the Bombardier Q400 aircraft has the very low operating costs and operational characteristics that we require to develop new flying from our hub in Denver to points in Colorado and surrounding states," said Frontier President and CEO Jeff Potter. "The aircraft's high cruise speed and excellent passenger comfort complete an extremely attractive package. Judging from the experience of other Q400 operators, our passengers are going to enjoy flying in this aircraft."

Frontier Airlines becomes the 18th operator to order the Bombardier Q400. Firm orders stood at 185 aircraft as of July 31, 2006, with 125 having been delivered.

Source: Frontier Airlines Orders Its First Turboprops - Aero-News.net

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