In an effort to return to profitability by chopping prices and changing into extra dependable, extremely low price provider Frontier Airways has modified the way it schedules flights. Whereas this can be a good transfer on the provider’s half, Frontier flight attendants aren’t in any respect joyful about this, and I don’t blame them.
Let me first share some background, after which we’ll speak about why flight attendants are sad.
Frontier Airways is constructing a extra modular community
In late 2023, Frontier administration revealed particulars of a enterprise transformation plan. US extremely low price carriers have been struggling financially, so they should do one thing to change issues up. Considered one of Frontier’s adjustments is that it needs to be extra like Ryanair and Wizz Air in Europe, by way of the way it schedules planes.
Traditionally, Frontier largely operated just like the “huge three” US carriers, by way of biking planes all through its schedule and route community. A aircraft would fly an advanced multi-day sample, spending each evening in a unique metropolis.
Now Frontier is engaged on constructing a way more modular community. The concept is that Frontier will base plane at particular airports, after which 90%+ of the time, these planes will fly again to the identical base every evening. That is just like what you’ll discover at most extremely low price carriers in Europe. What’s the benefit of this?
- Frontier has had enormous points with operational reliability, and basing plane out of an airport helps with that; that’s as a result of when there are irregular operations, a aircraft would beforehand exit of sequence, after which the operation would battle to get better, because of the domino impact of that
- By focusing extra on having mini-hubs in lots of cities, Frontier hopes to get extra market saturation, and get extra folks to use for co-branded bank cards, and be loyal to the airline
- By working most planes to and from the identical airport on daily basis, there are financial savings by way of crewing prices, as crews have fewer layovers
- By flying planes to the identical bases on daily basis, it helps with upkeep prices, since upkeep can extra reliably be carried out in a single day
Why Frontier flight attendants are sad with new scheduling
Denver7 has the story of how flight attendants at Frontier are upset in regards to the provider’s shift in scheduling, and the way some flight attendants are even pondering of quitting due to this.
Many Frontier flight attendants are discovering themselves going from primarily working three or 4 day journeys with overnights, to solely being provided identical day turns. This has a number of downsides for flight attendants:
- When flight attendants are on longer journeys they get per diem pay, which is seemingly roughly $50 per day, in order that they’re getting paid one thing even throughout a layover
- Many Frontier flight attendants commute to their base (which means they reside in a single metropolis however are primarily based in one other metropolis), which isn’t an enormous deal if you work a 3 or 4 day journey and your accommodations are paid for; nevertheless, when you work identical day turns on daily basis, meaning you’re by yourself for lodging and bills at your base
- Even these flight attendants who reside at their base can be spending much more money and time commuting to the airport on daily basis, which prices gasoline cash, results in automotive depreciation, takes up time, and so on.
Right here’s what some Frontier flight attendants needed to say about these adjustments:
- “So if I’m on a 3 day journey, then I’m getting paid from the time I depart Denver to the time I come again to Denver. And that’s a per diem that we that we’re allowed.”
- “Beforehand, with the intention to get the variety of hours that I needed to fly per 30 days, that was one three or 4 day journey per week for me, which meant 4 instances forwards and backwards to the airport for me. Now with the intention to get those self same quantity of hours, I might be driving forwards and backwards 12 instances.”
- “That’s simply not possible to fly in on daily basis for a flip, simply to fly again dwelling on the finish of the evening, fly again once more the subsequent day to do a flip, and fly again once more the subsequent evening. That’s not possible.”
Right here’s what the airline stated in an announcement relating to this:
“We’re dedicated to security and reliability. Final yr we had extreme cancellations primarily because of air site visitors management delays. In such cases, extra passengers are negatively affected by delays and cancellations when plane are routed on multi-day journeys versus out and again flying which considerably decreases downline impacts. To raised serve our prospects we have now diminished multi-day journeys though we’re nonetheless working some for these crew members preferring them. For the primary two months of the yr, we’re primary in completion for the business suggesting early outcomes are encouraging.”
My tackle this Frontier flight attendant downside
The best way I view it, two issues can each be true — flight attendants will be justifiably annoyed, and Frontier will be proper to make this variation.
In fact this totally sucks for flight attendants. At some bases, over half of flight attendants are commuters. Think about you’ve labored on the airline for years, and this variation utterly adjustments the economics of the job. Should you’re a commuter, it’s merely not sensible to maintain this job with out transferring. You’re not solely lacking out in your per diem, however you’re additionally on the hook for paying to your lodging at your base.
That being stated, Frontier is correct to make the adjustments that it’s making. The airline hasn’t been making a living, and the one method the airline can earn a living is by being actually disciplined with prices. Working planes to and from base on daily basis makes good sense. It’s nice by way of operational reliability, and the airline wants to chop labor prices, or else it gained’t be in enterprise for lengthy.
So it’s a tough scenario. I completely really feel dangerous for flight attendants, however I additionally assume the corporate is making the correct choice.
Backside line
Frontier Airways is overhauling its plane scheduling, with most planes now flying to and from a specific base on daily basis. This has performed wonders by way of enhancing operational reliability. On high of that, it may possibly assist the airline get monetary savings with staffing, for the exact motive that flight attendants are annoyed.
I really feel dangerous for flight attendants who’ve been on the airline for a very long time and like their jobs, as a result of for a lot of, this variation will imply that working at Frontier not makes monetary sense. However I’d say that it’s a tough however crucial change.
What do you make of this example at Frontier?
